


The God Who Cried Wolf

by starhawk2005



Series: A Light in the Dark [4]
Category: Marvel (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (2012), Thor (Movies)
Genre: BDSM, Blindfolds, Darcy is an awesome friend, Developing Relationship, F/M, Het, IKEA (Ch 3), Jane teases a god (Ch 3), Smut, fun with vibrators (Ch 3), my kinks let me show them to you, non-penetrative snake!porn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-31
Updated: 2013-06-07
Packaged: 2017-11-27 16:53:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 41,524
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/664285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starhawk2005/pseuds/starhawk2005
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Part Four of the Light in the Dark series. Jane and Loki’s secret is out….and Jane is about to have a very bad day.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Beta: Words cannot express how grateful I am to canyr12 for helping me wrestle this chapter into something readable. *big hugs*  
> Disclaimer: Not mine. *sobs in the corner*  
> Author’s Note: It’s movie!verse, as usual.
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> Banner courtesy of the lovely **cincoflex**!

The next morning finds Jane standing in the middle of her trailer, deep in thought with chaos all around her.

The first thing she’d done yesterday once Loki had left had been to call Fury. Definitely an interesting conversation, although Jane certainly had mixed feelings about it. Hadn’t she once promised herself that she would never do anything to help SHIELD? 

She’d taken the money they’d offered, once they’d returned all her equipment to her, and tried to forgive the ‘borrowing’. It had been enough money to fund her work for a year or more, and not having to write endless grants to fund her research freed up a lot of energy and time that Jane was able to put into her work. A _lot_ of energy and time. As an added bonus, she also got to avoid the disappointment of being refused funding from other, more conventional government agencies. 

But everything else that had happened after Thor had been trapped in Asgard – the Tesseract, Tromsø, not even letting her know Thor had been here – well, she hadn’t wanted to help them any longer, but their money and resources had been undeniably useful. _Working with them isn’t the same as_ helping _them_ , she’d tried to convince herself at the time. 

And that thought had kept coming back during the discussion with Fury. With a new potential power source, Jane might finally be able to prove her theories, might finally be able to build an actual working bridge between worlds. _I’m not helping them,_ she’d told herself firmly. _I’m helping_ myself _. Period._

More than once during the conversation, Jane had felt really disappointed that the one person she most wanted to share her excitement with is the one person she can’t – Loki. Finally, _finally_ , there’s a promising power source out there, and real help being offered by SHIELD, and she can’t talk about any of that!

When she’d finally come down a bit from the excitement of talking to Fury, she’d decided to make the all-important decision: Was she really sure about ‘Apartment B’?

That’s when it had occurred to her – she and Loki have only been involved in this ‘arrangement’ for what, around two weeks? She’s uprooting herself and moving into a new place, and all for someone she’s only been with for a _very_ short period of time?

_ Not to mention, it’s not even a  _ relationship _. It’s just sex_ , Jane had realized uncomfortably.

_ What the hell are you doing? _ asked the familiar, negative little voice. _Never mind you’ve only ‘been’ with him for two weeks….do you even really_ know _him? Let’s be honest with ourselves._

_ He won’t tell you why he attacked Puente Antiguo. He won’t tell you why he attacked Manhattan. He hasn’t opened up to you at all about the fact that he’s not Asgardian  _ (assuming Jane had overheard that correctly). _He doesn’t see anything wrong with lying to Erik and Darcy, or to SHIELD. Is this really someone you should be involved with? Is having kinky sex really that all-important to you?_

_ What’s  _ wrong _with you?_

_ Nothing, _ she’d retorted. _I’m tired of living in this…ale-barrel_. She’d been living in the trailer almost a year, way longer than originally planned. It was only supposed to be a ‘temporary living situation’, right? 

And honestly, she’s been seeing Loki so frequently that it doesn’t even feel like a two-week old…whatever-it-is. Maybe it’s not a ‘relationship’, but it is _something_. It’s not just kinky sex. Jane _knows_ it, even if there’s nothing tangible she can point to. And maybe – probably – Loki would even deny it’s anything more than just sex. But Jane knows better.

Or _thinks_ she does.

But the other side of her brain isn’t done: _You still can’t pretend that all that stuff you two don’t talk about is not a big, big problem. The whole world-domination thing? How much longer are you going to ignore what’s right in front of your face?_

_ It doesn’t matter, _ she’d again retorted right back. He’s done nothing to hurt her.

_ That you know about, _ whispered the doubting little voice.

_ Doesn’t matter, _ Jane had repeated firmly to herself. If nothing else, she’s tired of living in this claustrophobic space. That’s enough reason to move. Period.

Too impatient to sleep on it after all, she’d called the landlord of Apartment B and said she’d take the place, if it was still available. It was, and in fact it had been available right away.

So Jane had decided it was high time she started de-cluttering. De-clutter first, then start to pack up the trailer contents. With any luck, she’ll be able to get some furniture soon, and maybe within a week or so, she can actually see Loki without having to also see the inside of another hotel room.

She’d spent the rest of the evening trying to do just that. The less crap she had to move, the better.

This morning had started off much the same. Jane had managed to organize most of the files from the lab that were taking up way too much room on her kitchen table (and honestly, they belonged _at_ the lab, didn’t they?). Then she’d gone through her closet, creating a pile of clothes-to-donate which is now dominating most of the space on her bed, and right at the moment she is pulling all of the dishes out of her cabinets, to see if she really needs to keep _everything_.

She checks her watch. One of the advantages of being a research scientist is that you don’t need to keep a strict nine-to-five schedule, but it’s already 10:30am and she can’t really blow off the entire day. She’ll go in just for the afternoon, she decides. She reaches for her cell phone to call Darcy, and let her know she’ll be coming in later-

A loud knock at the door startles Jane. Hardly anybody ever comes by. Maybe it’s Darcy, wondering where Jane is? While it’s not unusual for Jane to sleep in, 10:30 _is_ a little late for her.

But when Jane opens the door, after almost stumbling over a box of dishes in the process, she doesn’t recognize the woman standing there. She’s got green eyes and short red, wavy hair, and she’s dressed in a black leather jacket and black jeans. “Yes?” Jane asks, frowning.

“Doctor Foster, my name is Natasha Romanov. I work for SHIELD.”

“Oh,” Jane says. “Please, come in.”

Jane watches Agent Romanov weave gracefully around all the obstacles on the floor. “Sorry,” Jane says awkwardly, embarrassed.

The agent looks around, raising an eyebrow. “Are you going somewhere, Doctor Foster?”

“What? Oh, no,” Jane laughs. “I’m moving into a new place in town. Just starting to…pre-pack?” She removes some kitchen towels from a chair and motions the agent towards it. “Are you here about the Stark-Foster Project?”

Agent Romanov doesn’t move. “Yes. In fact, there’ve been some new developments. _Important_ developments. And I’ve been asked to bring you in.”

Jane blinks. “Oh, OK,” she says. “Wow, things are moving much faster than I expected, based on what the Director and I talked about last night.”

“I’m afraid I don’t know the exact details, Doctor. It’s above my pay-grade,” the agent says, smiling faintly. “But I _do_ know that the Director is waiting, so if you’d be kind enough to come with me-” The agent motions towards the door.

“OK, I, uh,” Jane tries to think. Does she need any of her notebooks? “I should probably call Darcy – my lab assistant – and let her know where I’m going. Or wait, should she come too-“

“It’s taken care of,” Agent Romanov said. “And we’ll send later for any notes you think you may need, after you are briefed.” 

“Oh,” Jane says. Really, no notes of any kind? She shrugs and grabs her backpack, and walks up to the agent, who peers into Jane’s face very closely for a second. Before Jane can ask what’s wrong, though, the agent turns and opens the door for her. _What was_ that? Jane wonders.

The agent ushers her out, pausing to let Jane lock up after them. That’s when Jane sees the small fleet of black vans waiting. Four of them, with a few men in suit jackets standing around, and another man all in black, with what looks like a… _bow_ strapped to his back. 

Something feels _off_ to Jane. Do they really think she’s that valuable, that they’re sending an armed escort to collect her? Maybe SHIELD is starting to take her work _that_ seriously, even if Stark’s super-powerful arc-reactor hasn’t actually been built yet. Jane’s not sure how she feels about that.

If they do think she’s that valuable, who or what are they trying to protect her from?

_ Gee, I don’t know.  _ Loki _, maybe?_ sarcastically pipes up the negative little voice.

As they get closer to the first van, the man with the bow turns and fixes Jane with a stare that makes her vaguely uncomfortable. It seems….distrustful.

But then again, what does Jane know? She’s an astrophysicist, not a psychologist. Reading stars is so much easier than reading _people_ , sometimes.

“Tasha?” the man asks Agent Romanov. 

The agent shakes her head. “Shall we, Doctor Foster?” she opens the back door of the van. 

Swallowing her unease (or trying to), Jane climbs into the van, laying her backpack across her lap. Agent Romanov climbs in next to her, and another man in a dark suit climbs into the passenger seat. The agent with the bow takes it off and attaches it somehow down on the floor in the front of the van, before sliding in behind the wheel. 

“Let’s go,” Agent Romanov says, and they head away from Puente Antiguo.

For ten minutes, the ride is mostly silent. At one point, Jane tries to make a joke about the big security detail, and Agent Romanov smiles a little, but says nothing. Jane’s nerves gradually crank up higher and higher, even as she tries to convince herself that she’s blowing things out of proportion.

The truth is, she doesn’t really trust SHIELD. How can she, after everything that’s happened?

But right now they hold all the cards. If Stark can really make this arc-reactor work, if Jane can really access almost unlimited power as a result…well, there’s no way she’s passing that up. Even if she has to deal with SHIELD’s paranoia in the meantime. At least this time they came to _her_ , instead of cutting her out and going to Erik.

So even if Jane doesn’t agree with their methods, she’s kind of stuck. She’s sold her soul to the devil.

Just as Jane finishes reminding herself of all these facts, Romanov turns to her. “I’m so sorry Doctor, but we need you to put this on.” She’s holding what looks like a black hood in her hand.

Jane blinks at her. “What?”

“As you can see,” the agent says calmly, “Security is very important to us. You’re going to be working on a project that could give us access to other worlds. Other _universes_. I’m sure you can appreciate how secretive we feel we need to be. So it’s S.O.P. that nobody – not even you – knows where you’re going. At least for right now.”

It makes sense (at least some). Jane’s accustomed to thinking about these things from a scientific perspective, but of course the government is going to be worried about potential problems. Intelligence leaks, that kind of thing. 

Besides, Jane isn’t sure she has much of a choice. She lets Agent Romanov slip the hood over her head.

They drive for what feels like a very _very_ long time (is it hours, or does it only seem like it?), and then Jane feels the van slow to a stop. She starts to take the hood off, but Agent Romanov stops her.

“Sorry, Doctor,” she says, apologetic yet firm. “My orders are pretty specific. Just let me lead you. I know it feels awkward, but we’ll take the hood off pretty soon, I promise.”

“Uh, OK,” Jane says, sliding carefully out of the van at the agent’s urging. Her feet grit first in sand, and then on concrete. A door whooshes open in front of them, and the air around Jane turns much cooler. She’s inside some kind of building, clearly.

There’s more walking, their footsteps echoing in a hallway. Romanov’s hand is firm on Jane’s shoulder, guiding her eventually to stop. After a moment there’s the sound of a door being unlocked. Jane is led forward, and the hood is removed.

Jane looks around her. The room is small and mostly empty, except for a table, two chairs, and a long mirror along one wall.

There’s no mistaking where she’s been brought. _It’s an interrogation room._ Jane’s hands turn ice cold.

“Please wait here, Doctor. Someone will be with you shortly,” the agent continues in the same calm tones, as if nothing is out of the ordinary here. She slips out, and Jane hears the door’s lock engage behind her.

Jane’s cold hands clench tightly together. _I could be in big trouble here._

*~*~*

The instant the SHIELD agent makes contact with Jane, he _feels_ it.

Loki had been in the middle of the desert, checking the intricate lacework of his warning-spells, searching for any signs of Thanos, or the Chitauri, or indeed anything at all that should not have been there.

Still nothing. He checks again regardless, because there is not much else for him to do otherwise. He supposes he could explore Midgard again, see if there is anything on this barren rock of a planet that could serve to defend him if it comes to that, but it would just be something to fill time, and Loki knows it all too well. 

So once his task is done, Loki turns his mind to other, more pleasing matters. Such as what bed-games he will play with his mortal lover when next he sees her.

Not for the first time, he wonders if he has allowed things to move too swiftly. He did not expect to grow so… _fond_ of her, so quickly. Firmly, he reminds himself that he must let it develop no further, no _deeper_ , than that. This is no time to gain himself a consort. Even if he had something worthy to offer – a palace, a country, a Realm – he has too many enemies to consider weighing his escape down with the extra baggage of a mate. 

But it matters not; she seems content with the little he has to offer. She has proven most accommodating to his desires, and it makes him wonder how much further he can press her into submission. What other acts, perhaps, he can demand of-

There is an abrupt _tremble_ in the web of magic he has stretched over the desert-city where Jane resides, sending him a sign that something is amiss. Jane is not at ease about something.

Within less than a breath, he magicks himself inside Jane’s trailer, but he keeps himself cloaked in invisibility for now. Even on a planet populated by beings so much weaker than himself, Loki prefers to pick his battles. And he promised Thor he would not engage them unless necessary, did he not?

Loki smirks to himself as he takes in the scene. Ah, the irony that the so-called ‘Black Widow’ – a type of Midgardian spider, if his memory does not fail him – should be the one to trigger _his_ web. 

He observes Romanov’s interaction with Jane, following quickly but silently after them as they exit Jane’s dwelling. 

He raises an eyebrow at the group of black transports, frowning at Barton’s presence here. 

No, this does not bode well. 

_ I have been too complacent, perhaps_. 

Seeing Barton brings back unpleasant recollections, and for a moment he feels guilt, remembering how he used the mortal, but he banishes it at the next breath. Guilt serves no useful purpose.

He turns his attention to Jane, who is obviously nervous. He can practically _taste_ it. For a brief moment, he considers simply collecting her and magicking them both away. SHIELD is no real threat to him, after all. She will probably not appreciate being taken away from her work, but it would be nothing to him to come back and steal whatever she will need, should she desire it. She can work in secrecy and never fear interruption by SHIELD or indeed any unwelcome mortal organization, good or ill.

Uncertain, he observes the brief exchange between the Widow and Barton, then watches them all climb into their transports, considering his next move. 

Does the situation necessitate Jane’s removal? So far, despite Jane’s unease, he has not seen much of anything to indicate that they are even aware of Jane’s involvement with him. Were they threatening, that would be another matter entirely, but even then, there is no true peril here. Not to him, and he will see to it not to his lover. 

Choosing to wait, he climbs swiftly and silently onto the top of the transport containing Jane, holding on as the vehicle drives off. 

Waiting gives him time to think, and when another thought occurs, he gives it due consideration. He had been unable to curry favour with Odin, even once he explained his ploy to deceive Thanos. Perhaps he should see if these mortals have more sense than the All-Father? 

He can still whisk Jane away at any time, should they threaten her. She is not in any danger, not while he is here. 

But as he is not one to show all his cards unless completely necessary, first he will make certain whether or not their tryst has been discovered. Jane may be nervous, but he promised her he would not allow SHIELD to harm her, had he not? Surely she will remember that, and her faith in her god will sustain her, until Loki is certain what is going on here.

And some time later, as the transport continues on, another thought occurs as well: This might give him a rare opportunity to see where Jane’s loyalties truly lie. If the other Midgardians do suspect his involvement with her, and accuse her, will his _fondness_ be rewarded? Or will she betray him, as all the others before her (Odin, Frigga, Thor)? She possesses no knowledge that can harm him – he has seen to it, has told her nothing of use – so he need have no concerns there. And if she is all too willing to betray him, better he learns of it the sooner.

So he waits. And watches.

*~*~*

Jane sits down in one of the hard metal chairs, trying not to twist her shaky hands together. If they do not suspect anything, it's best not to give them any reason to.

_ Maybe this has nothing to do with Loki at all, _ she tries to convince herself, for probably the hundredth time.

_ Maybe Director Fury is going to show up any moment, tell me the Stark-Foster project is progressing beyond anyone’s expectations, and he needs my help. And I’ll feel really silly about being so nervous. _

Maybe that’s all this is. She’s here for a debriefing, nothing more.

_ Oh please, _ mocks the negative little voice in her head. _You are the_ dumbest _smart person ever. Of_ course _this is about Loki! You need to stop lying to yourself, Jane._

_ And while we’re on the subject, _ the voice continues, _where the fuck_ is _he? Didn’t he promise he would never let this happen to you? This_ exact _thing?_

_ Doesn’t it make you wonder what else he was lying about- _

The door is unlocked and opened, cutting the negative little voice off, and Jane catches a glimpse of several armed guards standing outside in the hallway, before Erik walks in. The door shuts and locks behind him again.

“Erik!” Jane says, standing up and trying not to show how relieved she is to see him. If Erik’s here, then everything must be OK, right?

“Jane,” Erik says, and he sounds almost as relieved as Jane feels. He comes over and takes her hands – his feel nearly as cold as hers – and then he peers closely into her face, just like Agent Romanov did earlier. What the heck is going on?

Erik’s eyes search hers, his hands squeezing hers a little tighter. “Jane, I have something to tell you, and it may come as a shock, but you have to know.”

“What?” Jane asks, her heart sinking. Has something happened to Thor? 

“I saw you the other day, out on the street in Puente Antiguo. You came out of an apartment building, with a man.”

Jane’s blood turns to ice-water. _It was Erik. That’s why SHIELD brought me in. He saw us, he_ recognized _Loki_. This is not the way she wanted Erik to find out, not after everything that Loki had put him through.

_ Really? _ the negative voice pipes up sarcastically again. _How exactly were you planning to tell him? Throw him a ‘Surprise! I’m fucking the being who mind-fucked you’ party?_

“Jane,” Erik continues. “I recognized him. It was _Loki_.”

Jane pulls her hands away from Erik’s, unable to look him in the face. He thinks she doesn’t _know_ who she’s been sleeping with. “Jane?” he asks, sounding very worried now.

_ There’s no easy way to say this, so just get it over with_, Jane coaches herself. Still, she can’t meet his eyes as she answers. “I know. He’s the one I’ve been…. _seeing_ these last couple of weeks.” 

Erik’s jaw drops. “Wh-what?” There’s a long, painful silence. “How could you do this? How could you lie to us, to me-“ he interrupts his own question. “Did he threaten you?”

“No!” Jane answers vehemently, finally meeting Erik’s gaze. _At least, he hasn’t threatened me since the beginning-_ “Look, I know how this looks, how it _sounds_ , but he hasn’t threatened me, or hurt me, or tried to control me in any way-“

“How would you even _know_ , Jane? If he was controlling your mind? I’ve been there, been under Loki’s power. I created the gateway for him to bring his alien army through to attack Earth, and I did it even though I didn’t want to. Do you have any idea how easy would it be for him to make you fall in love with him?” He steps closer, reaching out to grasp her shoulders.

Jane shakes her head. “You told me what it felt like, remember? To have your mind under someone else’s control? Watching yourself do things as if it was someone else doing them? I don’t feel like that.” And yet, if Loki has her under some kind of spell, would she even recognize it? She can recognize mind-control – or thinks she can – but what about _magic_?

Erik scoffs and shakes his head. “If you _are_ being mind-controlled, you wouldn’t be able to tell me-“ He says, though it seems to be more to himself than to her.

“I’m _not_ being controlled,” Jane insists.

Erik stares at her for a long moment. “OK, let’s assume I believe you. I want to know why, then, you lied to me and Darcy. Are you working with Loki?”

Jane shakes her head, starting to feel angry now, even as she tells herself that Erik doesn’t deserve it. 

_ Trying to cover up your own shame? _ asks the nagging little voice.

Jane pushes it away. “No! The reason I didn’t tell you, was because I didn’t know _how_. That’s all. Look, I didn’t plan to get…involved with him. I was there when he attacked the town with the Destroyer and tried to kill Thor, remember? We all had front-row seats! But, I don’t know, when I met him in person….” Jane draws a long, shaky breath. It sounds so pathetic when she says it like that, but what else can she say? That she had _needed_ something, and Loki had provided it? No, she’s not sharing her kinks with Erik. 

“And I’m not _working_ with Loki on anything,” Jane continues. “We are just….seeing each other. I’m not building him a portal or anything. Heck, we’ve never even discussed-“

“So, this whole Stark-Foster thing, Loki knows nothing about it?” Erik scoffs.

“If he knows about it, and I have my doubts, it’s not because of anything _I_ told him,” Jane answers.

There’s another long, awkward pause. “This is not you,” Erik finally says. “The Jane I’ve known since she was a child, would never keep a secret like this from me-“

“Oh, _I’m_ keeping secrets?” Jane retorted, her anger finally spilling over. “What about _you_?”

Erik blinks at her, confused. “What?”

“How long were you working on the Tesseract, Erik? How long were you listening to me pining for Thor, thinking that I’d never find a power source strong enough to create the wormhole, and then you’d head off to SHIELD and spend the day looking right at the one power source that I needed!”

It’s finally out, the ball of resentment in her chest that’s been there ever since  everything that had come to light after the Battle of Manhattan. She’d told herself over and over that it hadn’t been Erik’s fault, and yet….

“Jane, I didn’t have a choice!” Erik yells, obviously upset. “Have you forgotten that Loki had been controlling me for months? That the reason I even agreed to work on the Tesseract was because he influenced me? You knew all this, and you still became ‘involved’-” Erik makes sarcastic air quotes “-with him? What he did was no different than assaulting me. Hell, _raping_ me – violating my mind. And yet, now you’re telling me that you’re sleeping with him of your own free will?”

_ He’s making some excellent points, _ the negative little voice whispers. _Loki_ did _do all this nasty stuff. But you have blinders on, don’t you?_

Jane winces at the rage and pain in Erik’s face. “I’m sorry, Erik, that was uncalled for,” she apologizes, feeling the sting of guilt. But it doesn’t change the basic facts. “Look, I don’t blame you for thinking Loki is dangerous – hell, you thought _Thor_ was dangerous! – or that I’m not in my right mind right now-” 

“You aren’t!” Erik shouts. Oh yes, he thinks she’s lost it.

She takes another deep breath. “Erik,” she says slowly, as calmly as she can manage, “I need you to believe me, to trust me on this. I’m doing everything out of my own free will. Loki is not controlling me, and I’m not helping him try to take over the Earth again. Look, I don’t know why he attacked us, not in Puente Antiguo, and again in Manhattan, and yes, I do remember everything that you told me about what happened to you, and how it felt. But the man I’ve been seeing… ” she pauses, shaking her head slowly. “It just doesn’t match up. It doesn’t make any sense. I have to think that there were some kind of extenuating circumstances, some reason _why_ he did all that.”

_ Weak, weak, weak, _ mocks the little voice in her head. That _the best you got? Really?_

Erik looks appalled. “Jane, he’s the God of _Lies_. Whatever he told you, no matter how convincingly he told you-”

“He hasn’t told me _anything,_ ” Jane retorts, though it feels like such a weak justification, again. Why does it sound so _stupid_ , when she tries to translate what her gut is telling her into actual logic? “Look, he’s been…good to me, OK?” 

How can she convey to other people what seems to make such perfect sense to her?

“Please, Jane,” Erik pleads, visibly calming himself and taking her hands, “ _Please_ be logical about this. Even if he’s been ‘good to you’, do you think it’s an accident that he picked _you_ of all people? He wants you for some purpose. You can build him another Bifrost-”

Jane pulls her hands from Erik’s again, shaking her head. “It’s not about that. He’s all alone, and he needed someone. And I needed what he was offering me.” She doesn’t want to say any more than that. Remembering something, she looks up at Erik again. “ _Someone_ once told me, a long time ago, that relationships _aren’t_ logical.” 

Erik throws up his hands, angry all over again. “You can’t use that argument with me, Jane! Besides the fact that you know all too well how badly _that_ relationship ended for me, the stakes here are just too goddamned high!” By the end of the sentence, Erik is yelling once again.

Jane turns away, but Erik isn’t done, though he is obviously working very hard to calm himself down. “You need to cooperate with us, Jane. You need to help us stop whatever Loki has planned. Tell us everything you know. You have to. Thousands, maybe _millions_ of lives-“

Jane turns back to Erik. “I don’t _know_ anything. Except this feeling in my gut that you’re wrong about him. That _everyone_ is wrong about him,” she insists.

“I’m sorry you feel that way,” Erik says stiffly, after a long silence. He’s angry and hurt, and it makes Jane’s heart ache. But even if she wants to, she can’t tell him what she doesn’t know.

“I’m sorry too, Erik,” she says. “For not telling you about Loki from the start. I didn’t do any of this to hurt you-“

“Save it, Jane,” Erik rasps angrily. Jane tries to hold back the tears as Erik raps loudly on the door and then storms out of the room, the door locking ominously behind him. But she fails.

What if he’s right? What if Loki really _is_ using her, or enspelled her? 

And even if Loki isn’t using her - either just for sex, or for something far more dangerous - is her ‘arrangement’ with him worth all this? Worth losing Erik’s friendship?

She stares at the walls, but there’s no answers there.

And no Loki.

*~*~*

They leave her alone in the room for another two hours, and it’s agonizing.

Jane’s stomach aches, tied in tight knots when it’s not growling from hunger.

But the worst is the doubts, the nagging little voices in her head. _You didn’t want to work for SHIELD, but they came running with their chequebooks, and now here you are. You should’ve remembered how they screwed you before, and stayed far, far away from them._

_ And while we’re on the subject, something else you should’ve stayed far away from was Loki. All his promises, and where is he now?  _

_ I guess the truth is, he was just after someone to play his twisted little sex games with. And now that you’re in trouble, it’s not so much fun, so he’s in the wind. _

_ You’ll never see him again.  _

_ Stop it! _ Jane yells silently at the voices.

But they are stubborn: _He’s not coming. You’re all alone._

“Loki,” she finally dares to say it out loud, sure that someone from SHIELD is watching and listening, but she no longer cares who else might hear, except _him_.

But he doesn’t come. _Where are you? Why did you leave me here like this?_

She paces the room, arms crossed tightly around herself, trying not to hyperventilate, trying not to feel like the walls are closing in on her. The negative voices continue to natter on, and a headache is starting behind her eyes.

When the door opens again, it’s almost a relief, but not for long. It’s Fury, holding a Styrofoam cup, and two file folders.

“Doctor Foster,” he says, taking one of the chairs. “Please, sit.”

Jane’s initial impulse is to resist his invitation, but then she reminds herself that she’s done nothing wrong, she hasn’t hurt _anyone_ , and so she decides the best thing is to play along. She has nothing to be guilty about.

Wordlessly, Fury pushes the cup towards her. It’s water, or seems to be, and though Jane doesn’t really trust it, she’s too hungry and thirsty to care. She empties it all in nearly one swallow.

Fury has one file folder, the thinner one, open, flipping through it, and Jane isn’t surprised to see it’s all about her. “Jane Emily Foster, Ph.D. in Astrophysics from Penn State University,” Fury begins. “Born June 9, 1981.” He goes on, listing off other key facts from her life, like the date and cause of her father’s death, the titles of the first two scientific papers she published on her Einstein-Rosen bridge theories…

Jane fists her hands tightly together under the table as a sudden thought occurs to her. Loki might be nowhere to be found – where the hell _is_ he? – but maybe she’s not powerless here. “I think I am entitled to a lawyer,” she interjects as soon as Fury pauses for breath.

“Under the Patriot Act,” Fury drawls, sitting back in the chair and crossing his arms, “You’re not entitled to _anything_ , Doctor.”

Jane’s anger makes an abrupt return. “You’re labeling me as a terrorist?”

“How else would you describe it, Doctor? You are, by your own admission, sleeping with a known war criminal.” 

_ It’s true, _ whispers the negative little voice, but Jane shakes her head. “Like I told Erik, I know how this looks. But-”

“But?” Fury cuts in. “There are no _buts_ here, Doctor. Would you like to know how many people in total Loki has killed during his last two visits to our planet?” He pulls the other file folder out. It’s much thicker than the file on her.

Fury flips it open and shoves it in front of her. Pictures of Loki in his various armours, pictures of Loki in a glass-walled cell, reams of numbers listing how many people were killed, how many injured, estimated costs of the damage to downtown Manhattan-

“Your demi-god ‘boyfriend’ is responsible, either directly or indirectly, for killing or injuring just over a thousand people. So you’ll forgive me if I am looking for one helluva good explanation from you, as to why you think what you’re doing with this entity is defensible.”

Gritting her teeth, Jane shoves the file right back at Fury. She decides to go on the offensive. “Did anyone actually stop and ask Loki _why_ he did these things?”

Fury scoffs. “Psychopaths generally don’t give rational answers, Doctor. So what would be the point?”

“So, you didn’t bother,” Jane presses.

“Even if I wanted to – and again, I _didn’t_ – Thor took care of it for us. The Asgardian royals said they would take Loki and the Tesseract right away, and who are we to argue with gods? With the Tesseract on Asgard, Earth is no longer a target, and that was my only concern at the time.” But the look on Fury’s face suggests to Jane that he hadn’t been entirely happy with that turn of events.

“In any case, according to Dr. Selvig, _you_ haven’t gotten an answer from Loki, either,” Fury points out.

“I didn’t ask,” Jane admits. 

“And why not?” 

Jane pauses to think, trying to figure out how best to put it. “At first, honestly, I don’t think I wanted to know. I guess I was afraid I might hear something from him that I wouldn’t be able to live with. But the longer I’ve been with him, the more I think that it’s not possible that he did these things….willingly.”

“You’ll need to be a little more specific, Doctor,” Fury prods her after a brief silence.

Jane chooses her words carefully again. “The way he’s acted towards me.” 

_ Oh, because he’s always been  _ so _nice,_ pipes up the sarcastic, rebellious voice in the back of her mind. _He’s never been vicious, has he? Oh wait, he was pretty nasty to Thor, wasn’t he? And how about at the beginning, when he was acting like he’d like nothing better than to skin you alive, using just his_ teeth _? Do you think maybe there’s just the slightest possibility that Fury and the rest of them are in the right, and you’re a lovestruck_ moron _?_

_ Stop, _ Jane tells herself. He’s been pretty good – cultural misunderstanding aside, anyway – since they agreed to their ‘arrangement’. _If he’s such an evil creature, why stop that first time? The first time he yanked me out of my trailer and away to a hotel, and I was scared out of my mind? He didn’t hurt me, or force me into anything. He hasn’t come to the lab and stood over me with a dagger. He hasn’t_ abused _me._

The question is, how can she make other people see this, without having to get into the realm of ‘too much information’?

“Tell me, Director,” Jane continues, “if Loki wanted to make me build him another portal, how do you think he would go about it?”

Fury leans back and crosses his arms again, single eye narrowed at her. “I ask the questions in this room, Doctor.”

Unable to sit still any longer under Fury’s fierce glare, Jane gets up and paces slowly back and forth. “Fine, I’ll tell you. He takes over my mind.”

“That’s what Selvig thought was going on initially, when he first spotted you and reported in,” Fury says. “But I don’t believe Loki is controlling you. You don’t exhibit any of the signs.”

“No,” Jane agrees. “So if he doesn’t own my mind, the other option would be to threaten me. He’s a lot stronger than me, than _any_ of us humans, actually. I’m sure there’s any number of ways he could torture me, terrify me, force me with physical intimidation to do whatever he wanted.” Talking about him like that reminds her too vividly of how they first met, but she clamps down hard on those memories. Really not helpful right now.

She stops pacing and leans on the table, making herself meet Fury’s gaze. “But he _hasn’t_.”

Fury frowns thunderously. “You’re dancing around one other very obvious possibility, Doctor. Loki doesn’t need to threaten you. He’s the God of Lies. The _Trickster_. Don’t you think it’d be pretty easy for him to convince you that he loves you? Make it seem OK to do _anything_ for him-“

Has Loki even _used_ the word ‘love’ when talking to her? Not that Jane can remember. She snorts derisively. “Why, because that’s so much quicker and _easier_ than just beating the crap out of me? Quick, call Guantanamo Bay! ‘Love conquers all’!” she declares sarcastically. It’s probably not a good idea to bait Fury, but Jane can’t help herself. 

He just sits and glares, though, which gives Jane some time to think. There’s a logical argument she can make here, she knows there _has_ to be.

“But hey, let’s go with your theory,” Jane continues. “So, Loki lies – or uses some kind of spell, hey, why not? – to make me fall in love with him. If that was the case, you’d think he’d be encouraging me to work on the portal for him, right?”

Fury just shrugs, clearly waiting for her to get to the point.

Jane leans further over the table, glaring hard at Fury. “Well, he hasn’t. He’s never – ever!- asked me about my work. Never tried to push, or even _suggest_ , that it’s something I should be working harder or faster on. He’s never even visited me in the lab!” Well, that’s not _strictly_ true, but since Loki’s visit had been only sexually-motivated, Jane doesn’t think the details are relevant here.

“If anything,” she finishes, “he’s kind of been a distraction. Does _any_ of that sound like someone whose goal is to get another gateway built?”

“You forget, Doctor. Loki lives a lot longer than us mere mortals. He can wait.” Fury retorts.

Jane scoffs and shakes her head. “Sure, he could wait, but honestly, from what I know of him, he’s not _that_ patient.” A new thought occurs to her, one she’s never considered before. “And even if he can wait, _we_ can’t. He’s immortal, but _I’m_ not. And maybe nobody else can build him that bridge. He waits, what, ten, fifteen, twenty years, for me to figure it out? Longer? Eventually I’m going to die, and maybe there won’t be another scientist for a long time, if ever, who can make my theory work. Or,” she adds, as still another thought occurs, “I get hit by a bus randomly tomorrow and die. How does _that_ help his cause?”

“Fine,” Fury said brusquely, tapping his fingers impatiently on the file folders. “So far, you’ve told me what he hasn’t been doing. What _has_ he been doing?”

Jane goes back to pacing, feeling her face grow hot, but there’s no denying it. She knew this line of questioning was coming, though she still tries to dodge it as long as she can. “He’s not with me all the time. And before you ask, no, I haven’t asked what he’s doing when he’s not with me.”

“And what does he do when he’s _with_ you?” Fury asks impatiently.

Jane has to stifle a nervous giggle. _Um, gets me naked, ties me up, and teases me with illusory snakes? Phone sex at the lab? Spanks me while pretending I’m his rebellious sex slave?_ It might be worth the embarrassment to say it out loud and see how Fury reacts.

But in the end, she loses what little nerve she has. “We sleep together. In the Biblical sense.”

Fury shakes his head in disbelief. “I know some women are attracted to dangerous men, but don’t you think you’re taking it way too far? Assuming, that is, I even believe you at all.”

Jane throws up her hands and paces again. “Director, let me assure you, I am a crappy liar. Both Erik and Darcy – and my Mom! – will confirm that.” But then she realizes she _has_ been lying, to Erik and Darcy and pretty much everyone lately. A lie of omission, but still a lie.

Right now, Erik probably thinks she _is_ a good liar, all things considered. And it’s not like she can blame him. 

She slows her steps, thinking fast. She needs more ammunition. And there’s _something_ , some piece of evidence that she can use, she can feel it, but it’s choosing to elude her at the moment.

In the meantime, she adds: “Look, I realize I’ve only known him a few weeks, but the point is, he’s been pretty good to me. And even when he does do something I don’t like, I can always stand up to him and tell him off. And he’s backed down every time.” She hesitates, then adds: “And the one time he did frighten me, _badly_ , it was same thing – when he realized I was terrified, he backed off.” Jane stops and looks Fury straight in the eye again. “Does that sound like the behaviour of a megalomaniac psychopath bent on world domination?”

“Probably nothing more than a very clever and sophisticated act, to lull you into trusting his crazy ass,” Fury retorts. “He’s the goddamned God of Lies, Doctor-“

“So what if he is? That doesn’t mean he lies all the time.” It’s Jane’s turn to scoff. And yet, there’s the rebellious little voice again: _Yes, but haven’t you told_ yourself _quite a few times what a good actor Loki seems to be?_

Just then the ‘God of Lies’ reference finally shakes loose the idea Jane’s been trying to prise out of her grey matter. _Yes!_ she cheers to herself, ignoring the nagging little voice’s last reminder.

She goes to lean forward on the table again. “But you know what, Director? If you don’t want to take my word for it, if you don’t want to _believe_ me, that’s totally fine.” She manages to pause for dramatic effect. “How about believing in _Thor_ , though?”

Fury raises his eyebrows. “What about Thor?” he asks testily. 

“He was here four days ago. He came and talked-“ _Yeah, let’s go with_ that – “to Loki, and after they did that, Thor decided to leave Loki here. He didn’t try to take Loki back to Asgard, didn’t tell Loki to stay away from me. If Thor, and presumably Odin, think it’s OK for Loki to be here on Earth, then doesn’t it seem plausible that there isn’t any danger? Thor sees himself as Earth’s protector. If he thought for _one instant_ that Loki was up to something that could hurt any of us, he would never have left Loki here. Or, he’d be back in a flash to make Loki pay. Even if you don’t trust my judgment, how about Thor’s? Or Odin’s?” Even though Jane suspects Odin may not actually approve of Thor’s decision to leave Loki here, Fury doesn’t need to know that, right? 

From the look on Fury’s face _….well, let’s just say his expression matches his last name,_ Jane thinks to herself.

Going out on a limb, Jane continues. “You knew Thor was here, didn’t you? I’m sure you picked up the Tesseract’s power signature when he arrived. There’s not much going on that SHIELD doesn’t seem to know about-“

“We read the power signature, yes. But we didn’t know who it was,” Fury contradicts her. “You say it was Thor. I say it was _Loki_.”

Jane blinks, her heart sinking. Her brilliant argument is coming unraveled. “You mean, Thor never came to see you-“ _Oh crap_. Loki _had_ asked Thor not to tell SHIELD about them, so now that she thinks about it, Thor had probably just gone straight back to Asgard.

In trying to protect Jane and Loki’s secret, had Thor unwittingly ruined Jane’s best argument?

Jane shakes her head. It’s the best defense she might have here, so she won’t give it up easily. “Trust me, it wasn’t Loki. He’s been here for almost two months.” But Jane’s heart sinks all over again as she realizes that she has no proof to offer. Sure, SHIELD had picked up on Thor using the Tesseract, but she has no clue how _Loki_ had gotten here. 

SHIELD obviously hadn’t picked up on Loki’s arrival. Or she has to assume they hadn’t, since nobody had ever come to warn her about it. 

“Enough, Doctor!” Fury suddenly shouts, slamming a hand down on the table, making Jane jump. “I’ve wasted enough time on this. The clock is ticking, Doctor. So I’ll ask you one more time: What is Loki up to?”

But Jane can only mutely shake her head. Suddenly, she’s _very_ afraid.

“If you won’t cooperate,” Fury says, his voice quiet but deadly, “I am afraid we’ll have to employ more…. _extreme_ measures.”

_ He’s talking about torturing me, _ Jane realizes. _Christ, I’m in so much fucking_ trouble.

She squeezes her icy hands into fists, and tries to comfort herself: _No way Loki lets that happen. He_ promised _-_

_ Oh yeah? So where the  _ FUCK _is he, then? Abandoned first by the god of thunder, and then the god of mischief? Batting a thousand there, Janie._

“It’s not my preference, though,” Fury is saying. “So I’ll give you the night to think about it, Doctor Foster. Maybe tomorrow you’ll realize that you have a responsibility to help us.”

“Wait,” Jane says desperately, thinking fast. “If Thor was here and then left, you should have read _two_ power surges, right? One when he arrived, the other when he went back to Asgard. If it was Loki and he stayed, then shouldn’t you only have read one surg-“

“I told you, Doctor Foster, unless the next sentence out of your mouth has to do with Loki’s current whereabouts and actions, we have nothing else to talk about. At least until tomorrow morning,” Fury finishes, the threat obvious.

Jane shakes her head slowly, helplessly. _Even if I wanted to tell you, I have nothing_ to _tell you_ , she thinks. Frozen, she watches as Fury gathers the folders and her empty cup, and leaves.

_ The torture is an empty threat. It has to be. _ Even if Loki isn’t about to blip in from nowhere to save her – Where is he? Has something _happened_ to him? – Jane can’t imagine that Thor will be too happy if he finds out about her being tortured, either. Maybe that’s an argument she can use. Tomorrow. 

_ Please, please, _ she prays, though she’s not sure whether she’s praying to Loki, or Thor, or to a non-Norse God she hasn’t believed in, in years, _get me out of this._

*~*~*

Jane paces her cell nervously, trying not to meet the flat, indifferent stares of the guards standing around her jail.

Four armed guards had ordered her out of the interrogation room soon after Fury had left, then marched her down to this cavernous basement room, which had four large iron-barred cells set up, right in the middle.

They’d brought her food and water, and then just sat and _watched_. 

Despite her nerves, Jane had been too hungry to ignore the food. But once it was consumed, there had been nothing to do but sit on the tiny cot, or pace the cell. There’s a small, curtained-off area with a toilet, but that’s the only privacy Jane gets. 

Except for sitting on the bed and covering her face with her hands, that is. In that darkness, though, there’s nothing to comfort her. So she keeps getting up and pacing. 

On what has to be her hundredth circle around the cell, her stomach cramps and nausea grips her, threatening to spill her recently-acquired meal out on the floor. No matter how many times she tells herself that they won’t torture her – Thor wouldn’t allow it, and she’s pretty sure Erik, no matter how angry and betrayed he feels right now, wouldn’t be pleased, either – it doesn’t remove the fear. 

She’s a private person, an introverted, law-abiding person who rarely breaks the speed limit and has never even had a parking ticket, and to be locked in like this, under scrutiny, is torture all by itself. 

It had been bad enough when SHIELD had originally come in and ‘borrowed’ all her work (and she imagines they’ve probably done it all over again; they’re probably ransacking her trailer and the lab right this minute, as she paces in impotent circles), but this confinement is so much worse than even that.

She can’t even see the stars.  

But worst of all is the feeling of complete and utter loneliness and abandonment. She’s sure SHIELD won’t bother to tell her remaining family where she is. Darcy similarly probably has no clue. Thor is too far away to help, assuming he still even cares. And Erik? Erik doesn’t trust her any more, that much is obvious.

And Loki…

_ Empty promises _ , the negative voice gloats, victorious. _Did you really expect anything else? Why would someone who tried to level Manhattan bother to save his little friend-with-benefits? Oh wait, you’re not even a_ friend _, are you? He tells you nothing at all – not what he did, or why, or what he does with his time when he’s not fucking your naïve little brains out-_

SHUT UP! Jane screams at herself. But there’s nothing else she can think of to counter that.

_ That’s probably why he never told you squat about what he’s doing here. That way if you ever got captured, he’d never have to worry about you ratting him out. He’s probably halfway around the globe by now, laughing to himself about it all. How well he’s ruined your life. Maybe that was even his plan all along? _

Jane puts her hands over her ears, even though that won’t stop the voice of her doubts.

_ And even if we play Devil’s Advocate here, even if he meant what he said about keeping you safe from SHIELD…God of Lies, right? Even if he wanted to be truthful with you, maybe he  _ can’t _be. How’s that for a hypothesis, Doctor Foster?_

The headache behind her eyes is increasing and spreading, the tension becoming just this side of unbearable. She wonders how long it will be before the anxiety and fear _break_ her; before she tells the guards to go get Fury? Before she just starts making crap up, tells them what she thinks they want to hear (even if it’s all lies), just to get _out_ of here?

It feels as if the bars are pulling in closer and closer, as if the whole cell is squeezing down on her, as if it’s getting harder to breathe. Jane collapses on the bed and buries her face in her hands again-

That’s when Jane _feels_ something. It’s like a whisper, but one she doesn’t hear with her ears. _I’m losing it,_ she thinks. _Coming unglued from the stress._

She risks raising her head from her hands and looking over at her guards. Her mouth drops opens in shock, because all of them are dead asleep. The two in chairs are slumped over, snoring quietly. As for the two who had been standing, one has slid down the wall and is in a limp, sprawled pile, and the other is just curled up on the floor like a fetus.

_ What the hell-? _ Jane shoots up onto her feet, her heart in her throat.

She senses something – someone – behind her, in the cell with her, and she whirls around just in time to see Loki materialize from nowhere against the back wall of her cell. She blinks furiously, trying to make sure it’s not just a trick her overstrained sanity is playing on her. But no, it’s him. Armoured in his usual black and green, and displaying his most charming, gentle smile.

A flood of possible reactions crowds her brain – scream at him in rage, collapse into a sobbing heap right where she is, slap him across the face as hard as she can – but in the end she runs to him full-tilt and throws her arms around him, clutching at him as tightly as she can. 

His arms enfold her immediately, without any of the hesitation he used to show. “Easy, my Jane,” he says softly, soothingly in her ear. A small corner of Jane’s mind realizes she’s shaking like a leaf, but she doesn’t really care. She just presses herself harder against his chest, like she’s trying to fuse them together so she won’t ever have to feel this helpless again. She breathes in his scent, digging her nails into his armour and holding on for dear life, until it no longer feels like the planet is about to tilt and throw her right off, screaming into the void.

When she can finally breathe easily again – she’s aware of Loki’s hand on her back, running in slow calming circles – she finally pushes back from him. Her cheeks are wet, and she swipes at them in embarrassment. Though she can feel the anger simmering just below the surface – what _kept_ him, for God’s sake?

But when she opens her mouth to speak, Loki holds up a hand to stop her. “Have a care, pet,” he says quietly. “My sleep-spell is powerful, but I must stretch it over this entire building and all those inside and around it. Any loud noise, and your… _attendants_ , will wake.”

Jane bites her lip against an angry retort. Who the fuck _cares_ how loud she is? Isn’t he about two nanoseconds away from teleporting them both the fuck out of here? 

“Come, little one,” he beckons her, urging her to turn until she’s facing away from him. In front of her, outside the cell, the guards snore on in their enforced oblivion. _The fuck is he doing-?_

Loki’s hands grasp her shoulders, but the green light Jane expects to wash away the view of the basement doesn’t come. Instead, his hands slide slowly along her shoulders and up her neck, long fingers threading through her hair and firmly kneading the tension out of her scalp.

After so many hours of being on edge, it’s difficult to resist the comfort he’s offering, but Jane’s confusion isn’t being eased at all. “What are you _doing_ , Loki?” She tries to keep her voice quiet, as he asked, but “Hush,” is the only answer he gives her. His hands are on the back of her neck now, strong fingers working the kinks out of her muscles. By the time his hands start their work on her shoulders, Jane is like putty in his hands, almost swaying on her feet. She’s so tired, and this feels so damned _good_.

She doesn’t resist as Loki guides her over to the cot. He pushes her lightly until she sits, and she watches him blankly as he pulls her shoe off and starts to massage her foot, still smiling gently up at her.

Jane closes her eyes and lets herself slump forward, almost lulled completely. But there’s still that angry, confused voice yelling for attention at the back of her mind.

So she wrenches her eyes open and gives it a real voice. “Come _on_ , Loki, what the hell are you doing?” _Why are we still fucking_ here _?_

He lifts an eyebrow at her but doesn’t stop. “Is it not obvious? I thought I was seeing to your comfort. I am sure you have had something of a trying day.”

Jane shakes her head and chuckles, but it’s bitter. “Understatement of the year. Can we please leave _now_? That will help me feel even better.”

But Loki says nothing for a long moment, his eyes focused on his hands as he shifts his attentions to her other foot. “In due time, little one,” he finally says in a low voice.

“What the heck does _that_ mean?” Jane asks, her voice rising. He’s not going to _leave_ her here, is he?

“Hush. Do not trouble yourself,” he says, flashing her a quick grin. He lets go of her foot and leans up, cupping her face in warm hands and swallowing her next question with a fierce, thorough kiss that leaves her breathless. 

His mouth releases hers, but he doesn’t back away, his lips brushing lightly against her lips as he continues speaking in quiet, calm tones. “You are thinking entirely too much, my dear Jane. You need to focus on something more pleasing, and I believe I know just how to aid you in that task. Get up and go stand over there.” He indicates the back of the cell, near where he first appeared.

Knowing Loki’s penchant for mischief, Jane’s pretty sure she can guess what’s coming. “Are you crazy?” she growls, folding her arms and staying put on the bed.

He laughs quietly. “Such modesty, my Jane? Come now. Who is there to see us?” He cocks his head at her, eyes glinting with amusement. “You need your rest, but you are entirely too anxious right now. I am certain that a climax or two will help with that.”

Jane just shakes her head and glares at him, too annoyed to remember to be quiet. “Are you fucking _crazy_? Even if they are asleep” – she gestures with her head towards the sleeping guards- “there’s cameras all over this room! I’m not about to create a prison porno-“

“Hush. Your ‘cameras’ will see nothing, I assure you. Much like your mortal guards.” Smirking, Loki pulls Jane to her feet, tugging her until she follows him. She shakes her head again, but she can already feel her resistance waning. It’s been a crazy day, _all_ day, and what’s a little more crazy?

He kisses her again, deeply and passionately, and her resistance slips another few pegs. It doesn’t take much to make her want to go along, to do anything to forget this terrible day. The rage in Erik’s face, the threat in Fury’s eye-

“Come,” he says again, softly, encouragingly. “Let us see what we can do to improve your focus.” His hands swirl around each other, and when he is done, he’s holding what looks like a white silk scarf with two broad bands of emerald green bisecting it, and covered in a pattern of small black circles. Oh, and white fringe on the ends. He’s going to use that to tie her up? His smirk widens. “Turn around.”

Jane hesitates, but obeys. She would’ve thought sex in a public place would be sufficient to satisfy Loki’s kinks, but apparently she’s wrong. But she’s not going to argue about it, she decides. She just doesn’t have the energy. 

She starts a little when the scarf is settled over her eyes. It tightens as he secures it, but it’s not uncomfortable, and it does blot out the unwelcome sight of her prison and their unconscious audience.

Loki pulls her back against him. “I recollect telling you once that I would take your sight from you, yes?” he purrs huskily in her ear. “This would seem like an opportune time.”

“And I suppose you always keep your promises?” Jane whisper-snarks just a little testily. 

His answering laugh is deep and just a little sinister. “Whenever possible.” His breath is hot on her neck, and Jane’s skin prickles. 

Jane starts to say something else snarky, but it’s halted when long fingers lightly grasp her chin. “Be still,” he orders, his fingertips sliding up to the lower edge of the blindfold, tracing across her cheekbone, the bridge of her nose, and along the other cheekbone, before slipping lower and idly tracing the shape of her lips.

Almost against her will, Jane leans against Loki, tilting her head back as his fingers glide down over her chin and the line of her throat, tracing feathery patterns, before his hand spreads warmly over her collarbone, stealing under her clothing.

He pulls her flannel shirt down and off her shoulders and arms, and then there’s a pause, Jane standing alone, missing the warmth of him behind her, her knees shaky. Then he’s pressed up against her back again, warm hands creeping under the edge of her tee-shirt, spreading flat against her stomach, and Jane shivers for a different reason. 

He’s so very warm, and she’s so tired after being tense for so long. She can feel herself getting wet, giving in to him. He tilts her head back again, presses kisses against the side of her neck and her throat, the hands under her shirt slowly moving higher, and her skin tingles, her whole body wanting to melt into his.

He makes quick work of pulling the shirt over her head, deftly avoiding the blindfold, then takes her hands and gently guides them behind her back. Something which feels like another silk scarf is wrapped around her wrists. 

His warmth surrounds her once more, his hand tilting her head up, fingertips teasing along her throat again, the fringes of the first scarf tickling her back. “Relax and give yourself to me,” he whispers. 

She’s been on edge for too long and she needs the comfort, the distraction. With her sight gone, it’s easy to pretend they’re somewhere else, anywhere but here. It’s easier to let everything just _go_ , to do exactly as he says.

Besides, how can she stop him? Even if she wanted to (and she doesn’t), she’s still locked in this cage with him, and now she’s blind and bound.

There’s nothing else to do but obey.

His breath is soft against her ear as his touch moves down her pinned arms, then back up again, over her shoulders. He traces the edges of her bra-straps, and Jane feels another brief moment of loss, of cold, when he backs a little away from her to study the clasp at the back. An instant later and it’s loose, his hands slithering under the cups to curl around her breasts, and Jane gasps when he rolls her nipples between his fingers.

“Hush,” he says again, and she can feel the curve of his grin against her neck as he continues to fondle her, squeezing and stroking. Jane bites her lip, but it’s hard to stay quiet under such a skillful assault.

Her bra, hanging loose now around her belly, suddenly vanishes. Jane doesn’t know if Loki used magic or something, but her curiosity is derailed when he gives her nipples a final gentle squeeze, and then slides his hands in a feathery caress down to the waistband of her jeans. 

The tips of his fingers dip just below the waistband, exploring, and then he’s popping the button and working the zipper down, and there’s another of those short moments of _loss_ , Loki backing away from Jane enough to work her jeans down and off. 

Christ, she’s sure her panties are soaked, which he’ll probably notice right now as he pulls them off. It’s what she expects him to do, but instead he’s pulling her back against him once more. He chuckles low in her ear, the tips of his fingers dipping below the waistband of her underwear, tracing tiny designs on her skin, moving slowly lower, and Jane moans and pushes her hips forward, every nerve begging for his touch. _Aching_ for his touch. But he pulls her back, pins her hips with his free arm so she’s trapped against him, his bracer cold against her belly.

“Distracted yet, my dear?” he teases, now stroking the curls at the top edge of her mound. His hand doesn’t move any lower, though, pulling a frustrated groan from her before she manages to bite her lip and silence it. 

This earns her a low laugh and a gentle nip on her earlobe. She squirms, or tries to, but then her hands are suddenly free. Her head spins as Loki scoops her up and deposits her on the cot on her back, all in one fluid motion. He leaves the blindfold in place.

She feels him tug her panties down and off. “Spread your legs wide for me, my sweet,” he purrs roughly, and there’s a definite commanding tone in there. Though Jane blushes, suddenly remembering their audience – sleeping or not, the potential for embarrassment is there – she does what he says, even as Loki continues speaking right into her ear, commanding her attention again.

“And now, my dear Jane, you are to do exactly as I say. I want you to keep very still, and very quiet. Not a sound, not a movement. We would not want to break my sleep-spell, would we?”

Jane blushes and bites her lip, and her hands fist the coarse sheets on the bed as she tries to brace herself for what’s coming. She doesn’t have a hope in hell of obeying his last command, but she’s going to try. Distantly, she supposes she could resist, refuse, but the _ache_ in her core won’t let her.

For several long moments, nothing happens, and Jane waits tensely for him to touch her. She’s too painfully aware of how hard her nipples are, how exposed she feels with her legs splayed apart like this. When he does touch her, finally, it takes everything she has not to jerk and make a surprised noise.

He starts by caressing her mouth, her lips. Tracing the shape of them again, then pressing a gentle fingertip between them, obviously wanting her to open her mouth. He strokes the digit across the surface of her tongue and along her teeth, and she has to fight not to stroke him right back with her tongue, to suck on his finger (she can pretty well imagine his smirk).

He eases his finger out of her mouth and trails it wetly down her throat and between her breasts, then without warning devours her lips with another hungry kiss. Jane fights back a moan, and then another one when he ends it, tilts her head back, and presses more demanding kisses all over her throat.

Slow, lazy love-bites along her collarbone almost undo her fragile control, and he’s not even touching her most sensitive areas yet. _I’m screwed_.

She manages to keep herself still when his mouth finds her nipple, sucking firmly, but the tiniest of sounds escapes her throat, and he chuckles. He scrapes blunt nails across the tip of her other nipple, and this time she does move, jerking in response.

He lets go of her, and Jane’s ears easily pick up the soft creaking of his armour as he takes up a new position at the foot of the bed, between her legs. Strong hands clamp down on her hips, pulling her until her backside is at the edge, and Jane barely manages to bite off a whimper as his tongue glides wetly across the inside of one of her thighs.

She tries to steel herself again, totally expecting him to work his way slowly up one leg, and then the other, like he’s done before. Her control comes completely undone, in gasps and bucking motions of her hips, when he chooses to rub the pad of his thumb firmly over her throbbing clit.

Jane struggles to keep still and quiet, but it’s completely impossible. He’s a master at this kind of torture, holding her open and stroking and massaging every fold of skin, always going back to brush against her clit unexpectedly, and it goes on and on and on. She can feel his breath caressing her wet skin as he laughs softly at her failing efforts.

Tsking, he moves back to her side, sighing with mock sympathy into her ear: “My poor, poor Jane. You seem to be having much trouble staying still and quiet. Do you require my aid with that? Otherwise, I fear I might have to stop-“

“N-no,” Jane hisses, keeping her voice as low as his. “Don’t stop. Don’t you _dare_ stop.” She’s suffered enough for him today. If he stops now, she thinks she may well try to _kill_ him, god or not!

“As you wish,” he whispers. Hands seize her wrists and raise them forcibly over her head, his mouth coming down on hers to muffle her moan as she feels the unmistakable sensation of a snake. It slides from his arm and over hers, gliding dryly over one of her nipples and then down around her thigh. It slithers around her leg in slow circles, making a leisurely path down to her ankle. It next slides away across her foot, back towards the bed. But she’s not free, it’s still got her in its coils, pulling her ankle back with it, and Jane thinks it’s weaving itself in a figure-eight around both ankle and bedpost. Another snake follows the same path down her other side – arm, nipple, thigh, ankle – and Jane is almost glad of Loki’s tongue pushing into her mouth, effectively silencing her.

Both snakes are coiled firmly around her ankles, anchoring them to the legs of the bed. Jane feels them turning into ropes, though she can’t see the green flash of light that usually accompanies that particular trick of his. She tries to move her legs, squirming against the bonds, but other than side-to-side motions of her knees, she can’t do much of anything. Apparently even that’s too much for Loki, as two more snakes materialize and slither down to her knees, and somehow they manage to twine themselves in such a way that once they turn into ropes, she’s completely pinned. Jane’s not sure how – are they wrapped around the bed-frame somehow? Not that it matters.  

When another snake abruptly materializes right around her throat, Jane jerks sharply under him as much as she can, but it doesn’t squeeze, instead slithering up her arm to her wrist. Before long she is completely fastened to the bed, barely able to move, and it seems like her whole world has shrunk down to her body, the bed underneath her, and Loki pressed against her.

“Much better, is it not?” Loki asks softly, lifting his mouth from hers. “But I must still keep you quiet. Shall we see if this will suffice?” His hand curves firmly over her mouth. His grip isn’t painful, but it does remind Jane just how helpless she is. 

“Best to test it, though,” he comments laughingly, and Jane pulls on her bonds, panting against his palm as he proceeds to tease her nearest nipple with teeth and tongue and lips. His other hand toys with her other nipple in an approximation of what his mouth is already doing to her.

Twisting against the ropes, Jane thinks she might just die of frustration if he doesn’t stop teasing and _get down to goddamn business_ , and as if reading her mind, his hand leaves her breast and slips in between her legs, and he easily penetrates her.

He has no control over the muscles deep inside her, however, and Jane clenches herself around him, moaning against his hand, silently cursing him as he moves into and out of her at a languid pace.

He stops and pulls both hands away from her. “Forgive me, my dearest,” he explains, “but I think I must find another way to silence your pleasure-sounds…that is, if you want me to put my silver tongue to best possible use.” Jane opens her mouth to answer, but there’s the silk scarf again, being wound firmly between her teeth once, twice, and after he wraps it around her head a few more times – it seems much longer than it should be - burying her lips in cool silk, he tightens it firmly and secures it with a knot just behind her ear.

“I apologize for any discomfort,” he says, lips brushing against that ear. “I shall do my utmost to…distract you.”

Jane feels him kiss and lightly nip his way down her throat, groans softly as he pauses to sample each nipple in turn, and then Jane feels his hair tickling across her lower belly as he bends to lap at her clit. One arm snakes across her hips, holding her perfectly immobile, and his other arm reaches around her leg to bury his fingers deep inside her once more.

In the darkness behind the blindfold, every other sense seems magnified a thousandfold. The stifled sounds of her muffled grunts, the sharp sensations caused by his fingers moving insistently inside her, the taste of the silk between her teeth, the scent of leather and sex that seems to fill the small cell. 

He works her to the edge mercilessly. Quick circles of his tongue on her aching nub, a third finger inside her to stretch her, an occasional rough caress of his callused thumb across her folds and clit while he presses his lips against the soaked hair of her mound…at least he can’t make her beg this time. 

She grinds her teeth into the silk gag and finally comes hard, coloured lights dancing across the backs of her blinded eyes. Loki doesn’t stop, though, continuing to work her nerve endings, driving her orgasm even higher, until she squeals as best she can and goes utterly limp and pliable.

She feels him ease his hand out of her, then he’s releasing her limbs from bondage one at a time. He frees her mouth next, kissing her slack lips passionately. But still he leaves the blindfold on, and dizzily Jane wonders if he’s through with her yet. _I can’t…I don’t…Christ…_

Jane finds out soon enough when he lifts her in his arms. Still blinded as she is, it’s hard to figure out exactly what he’s doing until it’s done, at which point Jane finds herself seated in his lap, facing him. She can’t _see_ him, of course, but the familiar textures of the armour under her hands tell her as much.

“You are tired, I know. And I will allow you to rest soon,” he promises her. “But the desire to be inside you is consuming me, I must admit. I hope you do not object. I intend to do the bulk of the work,” he says, his knuckles brushing between her legs as he reaches between them to undo the fastening of his pants. 

“Sssure,” Jane says, so tired her words are slurred. If she doesn’t sleep like the dead after this, she’ll be very surprised.

There’s a few more vague sounds and small motions, and then he’s wrapping her hand around his shaft. Jane can feel the latex under her fingers – he’s thought of everything, which is good, because she doesn’t have the capacity right now. “Guide me inside you, my love,” he says. 

_ Has he ever called me that before? _ Jane wonders, even as she does what he says.

True to his word, he does most of the ‘work’, his hands slipping under her backside to raise and lower her along his length. He kisses her hard, muffling their collective noises, though he pauses after a few thrusts to finally remove the blindfold.

Jane blinks several times, her eyes slow to focus, but before she can start to remember just _where_ she is, Loki’s hand is on her cheek, guiding her eyes back to his face. “Look only at me,” he orders in a low growl.

Their movements begin again, faster, the sound of flesh slapping against flesh seeming way too loud to Jane. If Loki is concerned about the noise, he doesn’t show it to her, tangling a hand in her hair to draw her face to his, to crush his lips down on hers all over again. His other hand works its way in between them to rub careful knuckles across her clit, and within a few more thrusts Jane is shuddering and coming unglued again, her sounds muffled by Loki’s tongue.

He presses his mouth hard into her neck when he comes – right against the old bite-mark, in fact, though his teeth do not break her skin this time – freezing as he pulses himself dry inside her. 

They sit like that for a long moment, clutching each other, before he withdraws from her, rolls her carefully off him and gets up. Jane slumps down onto the cot, barely able to move, soaked in sweat, her muscles refusing to obey anything she tells them to do. Even though, for a horrifyingly long moment, she’s sure Loki is about to teleport away.

And leave her there.

But when she musters the energy to raise her head from the sheet, he’s still there, tossing the condom with a mischievous smirk onto the floor (though it disappears before it lands) and lacing himself back up.

The silk scarf is mixed in with the rumpled sheets, and Loki steps back over to the bed, pulls the scarf carefully out from underneath her, and uses it to gently blot the sweat from her body. Another swirling motion of his hands and the scarf vanishes, her bra materializing in its place. He helps her sit up and dresses her again, like a child, though Jane’s arms and legs (and eyelids) feel so heavy that she can’t bring herself to resent it too much.

“Are we going now? You know, now that you’ve gotten your semi-exhibitionistic kink on?” she asks sleepily, her tongue trying to fight her on the multi-syllabic words. But he only hushes her again. 

Her last conscious experience is of lying on the prison bed again, though she’s not actually lying _on_ it. She’s lying on Loki, her head cradled against his shoulder, his arms wrapped around her. She doesn’t understand why they’re even still here, but she doesn’t have the energy to argue, especially when he won’t give her an answer.

Her last conscious _thought,_ however, is that she’s done waiting for Loki to tell her why he attacked Manhattan and Puente Antiguo. She can’t ignore the elephant in the room any longer. Even if it scares him away, or even if it makes him murderously angry, she has to take the chance. She doesn’t really believe now (if she ever really did) that he will kill her, no matter how angry he gets. And even if she learns something about him that she wishes she hadn’t, they can work it through together. He’ll tell her, if she has to tie him down and tease him til _he_ begs to spill his guts. Or so she tells herself.

Just….later.

*~*~*

Jane wakes slowly, languidly, stretching like a contented cat. Her body aches, but in a way that she’s become only too familiar with, and thoroughly enjoys. 

Until her hand brushes against the cold hard bars of her cell, and she remembers where she is. Remembers _everything_.

She’s alone. Loki _left_ her here.

_ No. _

_ No,  _ please _, God._

Her nightmare isn’t over.

There’s a noise then, the unmistakable sound of multiple guns being cocked, and Jane’s heart shudders to a stop. _What the-_

Clutching the sheet to her chest, she sits up _very_ slowly in the bed, turning to face the front of the cell. Immediately, she wishes she hadn’t.

Loki is still here, still inside the cell with her, smirking, with his arms folded across his chest. That part, Jane is fine with. _Relieved_ with, in fact.

Fury is standing outside the cell, with what must be at least twenty heavily-armed guards, all of them pointing their guns at Loki. And her. That part? Jane is _not_ fine with. Not even close.

She freezes, not wanting to provoke anyone into firing on them. Despite her panic, she notices that Agent Romanov is standing to the right of Fury, her gun also pointed at Loki. And to Fury’s left, is the man with the bow who drove them out here. He’s the only one not holding a gun, but Jane doesn’t feel any less scared of the arrow pointed in their direction.

_ Why are we even still here? _ Jane wants to scream at Loki, but her throat is locked and nothing comes out.

There’s a long, frozen silence.

“Director Fury,” Loki says smoothly, calmly. As if they are standing in Jane’s trailer and merely discussing the weather. “I doubt you are surprised to see me.” 

And then he _smiles_.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki explains (FINALLY!) everything that led to his attack on Earth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta: As usual, all thanks and green roses to canyr12.  
> Disclaimer: Not mine, just borrowing them.  
> Author’s Note: Movie!verse, as per my usual.
> 
> And no, no cliffhanger ending this time, I promise!
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> Banner courtesy of the lovely **cincoflex**!

Loki’s wicked smile makes Jane _very_ nervous. She scrambles out of the bed, wincing inwardly. She knows moving is _very_ stupid – someone could panic and fire on her at any minute – but she can’t just sit by and watch Loki attack more humans, even if it _is_ to defend her.

“Wait!” she exclaims, holding up a hand towards the contingent outside, feeble shield that it is. She moves as quickly as she dares to Loki’s side, catching at his nearest wrist. “Please, Loki, don’t hurt anyone-“ but even as she speaks, she remembers his promise to Thor. He’d said that he wouldn’t attack any humans, assuming he’d been telling the truth.

_ Yeah, but you weren’t supposed to hear that, remember? You were eavesdropping at the time.  _ So it’s not like he’d expect her to know that.

His mouth quirks, his wrist slipping from her grip, but only so his fingers can twine with hers, though his eyes never leave the mass of armed people in front of them. “Fear not, Jane Foster. I did not come here to do battle.”

“Really?” asks Fury sarcastically. “Sure looks to me like you were lying in wait for us.”

“Appearances can deceive, as I am one to know well,” Loki counters, smirking. “But no. In fact, I came to make a deal.”

Jane risks a glance over at Fury, who looks entirely unconvinced. “You’re assuming I’m in the mood to deal.”

“Perhaps you should hear what I have to offer, first,” Loki remarks mildly. “It is this: Let Jane Foster go, and I will explain everything that led to my attack on your city.”

Fury snorts, but there’s no amusement in it. “Maybe I don’t actually care about your past reasons. Maybe I’d much rather find out what you’re doing here _now_. Either way, Doctor Foster isn’t going anywhere.”

Loki chuckles. “I’m afraid you only have two courses of action, Director. Let Jane go-“

“Or you’ll kill us all?” Fury interjects angrily. “Yeah, you’re tough, and you’ll probably win, but we’ll fight back, and some of our bullets might take out your girlfriend there. Your armour may be bullet-proof, but her skin isn’t.”

Jane finds her anxious shakes turning into _angry_ shakes. “Are you threatening me?” she asks incredulously. On the one hand, she can totally understand why Fury is threatening her, or feels he needs to. But on the other….she hasn’t _done_ anything!

Loki’s fingers tighten reassuringly around Jane’s. “I was about to say,” he continues in the same calm tones, “If you let Jane go, I will stay and answer any questions you have. If you refuse, however, I will simply magick both her and I away from here, and you will have nothing. And I should point out that it is entirely useless to threaten Jane. Or myself.” He makes a small gesture with his free hand, and the air in the room twists and ripples in tiny waves around them all.

Once the effect fades, Jane blinks, not believing her eyes. The men outside the cell mutter and stare at their hands which, instead of guns, now hold….bouquets of pale green roses. She looks up at Loki, not surprised to see him smirking, mischief dancing gleefully in his dark eyes.

Even Agent Romanov and the man with the bow are now holding flowers, but everyone is wearing the same expression of surprise and puzzlement.

“See, my Jane?” Loki asks, his voice pitched lower than the mutterings of the shocked soldiers, “I intend harm to no one.”

Jane squeezes her fingers around his and steps a bit closer to him. “Thank you,” she says, sincerely. If anyone had died, just because of their ‘arrangement’-

“What next?” Fury growls condescendingly, “You turn us all into frogs?”

Loki shakes his head. “I did not come here to fight. I came to talk, assuming you are willing to listen. It is wrong to imprison Jane, as she is blameless. Allow her to go free, and this will put me in a cooperative mood, I assure you.”

Fury crosses his arms. “Like I’m supposed to believe the God of Lies?”

“It is entirely up to you whether you believe me or not,” Loki agrees. “But know this – you have no means by which to hold either of us.” He squeezes Jane’s fingers one last time, then releases her hand. Half a second later, he vanishes from her side and reappears outside her cell, standing right in front of Fury. Before Fury can even react, Loki is back at Jane’s side, leaving the group in front of them blinking and muttering in astonishment. “In fact, you never _did_ have the means to hold me,” Loki adds, though Jane isn’t sure what he’s referring to.

Fury looks very disgruntled. “So, it _was_ all a con,” he mutters.

“I will answer your questions about that, too. Providing you first release Jane.”

Fury’s brow furrows darkly, but finally he sighs. “Open the cell door,” he orders one of Jane’s guards. 

“Sir,” protests the agent who drove Jane out here, “You can’t really-“

“Don’t see that we have a choice, Agent Barton. Do you?” Fury challenges him.

The cell door is unlocked, and Loki gently ushers Jane out ahead of him. Jane almost smiles at the reactions of the soldiers around them. They’re still looking at the roses, poking at them, and muttering in confusion. But there’s an undercurrent of fear as well, and that kills her smile before it can surface. 

But Fury is not wasting any time. “Agents Barton and Romanov. Take Doctor Foster anywhere she wants to go. Is that understood?” From the tone of his voice, it’s obvious that Fury isn’t going to take no for an answer. 

“Yes sir,” Romanov replies, and the other Agent -Barton, Fury said – nods briefly. Romanov looks at Jane, watching her with a cool, calculating gaze.

Loki takes Jane’s hand again, distracting her from the drama in front of her. “Until later, my Lady,” he bends down and kisses her fingers (and he does the tongue thing again to the back of one knuckle, the same as the very first time he appeared to her in person). He gives her a quick grin and a wink, and then he swings around, following after Fury with a lazy animal grace that Jane envies.

Jane watches them go, still trying to process everything that just happened. Once they are gone, she turns back to find the room empty of everyone except the two agents apparently assigned to her.

Romanov is still giving Jane that look. “I’m beginning to think,” she murmurs, though it’s not clear if she’s actually talking to Jane or thinking out loud, “that maybe we have things backwards here.”

“Come again?” Barton asks. He’s still holding the bouquet of roses, and now he tosses them onto the floor with a grimace.

“He obviously cares about your welfare, Doctor Foster,” Agent Romanov muses, stepping closer to Jane. “I’m starting to think that maybe _you’ve_ got the power over him, and not the other way ‘round.”

Jane’s had that very same thought before, hasn’t she? But she shakes her head. She’s not discussing that with these….people. 

“I don’t do games and power struggles, Agent Romanov.” 

“And yet, you’re involved with someone who lives and breathes _games_. Ironic, don’t you find?” Romanov presses. 

But Jane just shakes her head again. That’s when she realizes that Fury is going to hear Loki’s story before she does. 

_ What if he tells Fury his story, but then he decides to continue keeping you in the dark? _

Jane clenches her fists. _No fucking way_. “I don’t know, and I don’t _care_.” Deliberately changing the subject, she continues: “Fury told you to take me anywhere I want to go, right?”

The agent’s brow furrows and she steps back, but she’s clearly still trying to work this all out in her head. “Of course. Name the place, Doctor.”

Jane takes a deep breath. “Do you know where Fury will be …talking to Loki?” Calling it an interrogation doesn’t seem quite right.

“Probably in the room where he was ‘talking’ to you. Or in that general neighborhood. Why?” Barton cuts in, looking miffed still.

“I want to watch it.”

“Yeah, I don’t think so, Doc,” Barton scoffs, although Romanov is looking back and forth between them, a faint smirk on her face. “I’m pretty sure Fury meant to take you somewhere off the base-“

“His exact words were ‘take me anywhere I want to go’. I _want_ to go see what Loki has to say.”

“ _Loki_ wants you set free. Now. And I’m pretty sure that means somewhere far away from here,” Barton insists. Romanov continues to watch the two of them.

“I _am_ free,” Jane grits out, losing the last of her brittle patience. “And now I’m walking to where he is. Could you point me in the general direction, at least, Agent Romanov?” Jane turns to her, as she seems like the more sympathetic of the two.

Barton glowers. “I’m pretty sure both Loki and Fury won’t like that,” he warns.

“Neither of them said I can’t listen in. I have as much right to hear what Loki has to say, as Fury does. More, maybe. And I’m not scared of Loki,” she adds as a parting shot.

“Obviously not.” Romanov agrees, and she’s definitely smirking now, oh so slightly. 

“Are you going to help me, or not?” Jane asks her again.

“Yes, I think I will.”

“Tasha!” Barton hisses.

“What’s the harm, Clint? She’s right, nobody said she couldn’t listen in.” The agent’s eyes settle on Jane’s face, calculating. “I take it he hasn’t explained all this to you yet, either?”

_ This again_. “No, and I never asked, and I wish people would just _fucking stop bugging me about that_!” Jane snarls, anger edging each word. 

“I’m sorry, Doctor, I didn’t mean to offend you,” Romanov apologizes, holding up a placating hand. “Please, follow me.”

Jane is aware of Barton’s angry gaze burning between her shoulder blades as Romanov leads the way, but Jane isn’t going to back down. 

*~*~*

Romanov ushers Jane into a small room, Barton following after them. On the other side of a long window on one wall, Jane can see Fury and Loki sitting across a table from each other, Fury’s back to Jane. It does look like the same room they held her in, but then again, it’s not like there’d been anything distinctive about that room. Or that she’d been in any state to notice, either.

Loki is facing the window, facing her, and a moment after she arrives, his head snaps up. His eyes seem to burn into hers through the glass, his narrowing. _He knows I’m here._

He turns his gaze back to Fury. “I thought our agreement was for Jane to be released.” 

Jane can’t see Fury’s face, but she can imagine his confused look. “I released her. What game are you playing _now_?”

“No games. She is watching us from behind that glass.” Loki points right at her.

“Excuse me,” Fury rumbles. 

A second later and he’s striding into their viewing room, glaring daggers at Jane and the two agents. Well, mainly at Jane.

“Didn’t I say you could _go_ , Doctor?” he scowls, crossing his arms.

“You did,” Jane counters, crossing her own arms and mirroring his scowl right back at him. “But I’m staying. I want to hear what Loki has to say.” Just in case, she turns and glares pointedly through the window, but Loki’s fiddling with his bracer and seems to be ignoring all of them. She’s pretty sure that’s a front, though. “So no, I’m not leaving.”

“Doctor-“ Fury starts.

“What part of ‘No’ don’t you understand, Director? The ‘n’ or the ‘o’?” Jane hisses. “I’m staying. Besides, if you want me to work on this Stark-Foster Project, maybe you’d better start giving me a little bit of what _I_ want.“

Fury’s gaze darkens even further, but Jane meets him glare for glare, refusing to be cowed. She’s stood up to a fucking Norse God, she’s damn well not going to back down before some one-eyed government bully. Especially not when said Norse God is on her side.

In the end, Fury throws up his hands in exasperation and leaves, and Jane turns to find Agent Barton looking stunned, while Romanov is again smirking ever so slightly. Not that it matters.

“Well?” Loki asks once Fury returns and takes his seat. Loki meets Jane’s gaze through the glass once more, eyebrows raised.

Fury shrugs and sits. “As I explained, I did let her go. It’s not my problem if _she_ insists on staying.”

“Ah,” Loki nods knowingly. “Yes, I am well acquainted with Jane Foster’s….tenacity.” He smirks at her through the glass. As if he can see her (and maybe he can), Jane crosses her arms and glares defiantly back at him.

Just then, the door to the viewing room opens again, but now Erik comes in, his expression still angry. Jane bites her lip, not sure what to say to him, but Loki is starting to speak, and Jane doesn’t want to miss a single syllable. Almost relieved that she has a plausible reason to evade Erik, she turns away and focuses all her attention on the conversation in front of her.

“You call me God of Lies, and that is true,” he starts. “But sometimes, one must lie for the greater good. You, Director Fury have also lied. You have made decisions that have cost the lives of many.”

“Oh, so now we’re supposed to be the same, you and I?” Fury retorts.

“Not precisely. But if I have blood on my hands, then so do you.”

“Even assuming I agree with you, our intentions are _very_ different. I was trying to save lives.”

“It likely does not seem evident right now, but so was I,” Loki claims. 

“It does not ‘seem evident’ at all,” Fury snarks. 

“Then I will tell you the same thing that I told the All-Father and Thor. They did not believe me, but perhaps you will prove wiser than them. I shall begin at the start. I had fallen from the Asbru Bridge in Asgard…”

*~*~*

_ The vast throne room in Asgard is totally empty of all life, something Loki could not remember ever happening before, not in his lifetime. _

_ Even the Royal Guard had been dismissed. Even Mother (even though she was not, never his), over her shouted protests.  _

_ There was only Loki, and his two judges. Odin and Thor.  _

_ “Speak,” Odin’s command rings through the room, as he ignores Thor’s pleading look. “Defend yourself, Loki Odinson. Tell us why you allied yourself with the Chitauri, and killed so many mortals.” _

_ “I am Loki Odinson no more,” Loki spits out harshly. “But I will tell you the tale, if only to see if you have the intellect to credit it. And after that, I am done with all of you. ‘Father’ and ‘Brother’, both.” he sneers coldly.  _

_ Next to Odin, Thor starts to protest, but Odin snarls and Thor falls silent. “Then speak, you foolish child.” _

_ Loki starts to insult back, but then stops himself. What purpose would it serve? The sooner he complies, the sooner he is free of both of them, and alone in a cell, he will be free to plot an escape. They cannot hold him, of this he is sure. _

_ So, taking a deep breath, he begins the tale. _

*~*~*

_ Loki had never hated his immortal status before. To live forever, to watch the wheel of time turn over and over, to watch the branches of Yggdrasil as they ever so slowly grew through the millennia, he had always taken it for granted. _

_ Even as he’d fallen after the broken pieces of the Bifröst, tumbling through the cold, vast layers of space and time, the prospect of an eternity that he could never escape had not given him pause. He was in  _ pain _, lost, alone, but those things could be overcome. He would come to himself at some point, and he would find a way to get back at all those whom had hurt him._

_ Thor. Sif. Fandral. Volstagg. Hogun. And Odin. Chiefly, Odin. _

_ He fell, for what felt like several hundred mortal lifetimes. And he only stopped falling, because  _ they _found him._

_ He would only find out later what they were. That they called themselves Chitauri, that they made it their business to destroy realms, at the whim of their Master.  _

_ As a curiosity, they delivered him to their Master. _

_ Thanos. _

_ His first meeting with Thanos was like nothing Loki had ever experienced before. Odin was powerful, Heimdall was powerful, but their strength seemed as nothing before the might of Thanos. In seconds, Loki could feel his defenses brushed aside, and his mind being peeled apart like ripe fruit. All his fears, pains, ambitions, and plans pulled forth to be studied and mocked, before he had a chance to weave a stronger spell around himself and stop the invasion. By the time he managed to do so, gasping and gritting his teeth against the effort, it was too late. All had been revealed. _

_ “So, you think yourself deserving of being a king, Loki Odinson?”  _

_ Raw within and without, Loki had winced at the name. Not a son of Odin, not anymore. He did not say it aloud, but Thanos heard it regardless. “Very well. Should you wish to rule,  _ Asgardian _? Swear allegiance to me, obey me, and your reward will be just that. I will give you a Realm, one that will call you king.”_

_ At first, Loki had refused. He wanted only one thing, one thing in all of Yggdrasil, and he was certain that even a creature as powerful as Thanos was unable to grant him thus – to be truly of Asgard, rather than a Jotun. To turn the great lie of his existence into truth. To be a king would have been a balm, but to rule a people who hated and feared him, how would that be any different from what had come before? _

_ “Think carefully, Asgardian. I have many means at my disposal to….persuade you to agree to my offer. Let me tell you what I would ask of you. Then you may decide.” _

_ Thanos’ proposal had been simple enough: he desired to have the Tesseract, to increase his power, and increase the reach of his cosmic empire. It was on a planet, one populated by mortals. _

_ “Surely mortals are no match for you,” Loki had pointed out. “Why should you require  _ my _help? Go and claim it yourself.”_

_ But Thanos had only grinned, at the time. It was only later, after the torture and Loki’s apparent capitulation, that Loki had been entrusted with the truth: That the Realm Eternal was the linchpin of Yggdrasil, and Thanos wished to see it fall. And what more amusing, entertaining way to see to that, than to get the fallen son of its ruler to see to its destruction? _

_ Once Asgard fell, the whole of the Worlds Tree would be Thanos’ for the taking. _

_ But all that came later.  _

_ At the time, Loki had only known that Thanos desired the Tesseract, and that it was on Midgard. Midgard, which Thor considered under his protection. _

_ Which had made it tempting, so very tempting to go along with Thanos’ plan. Not only sweet revenge on Thor, and on the mortals who had changed him, but also on Odin for his betrayal and abandonment, should Asgard fall – and it probably  _ would _fall; without a Bifröst, the Asgardians no longer had any means of escape._

_ And yet, Loki had continued to refuse at first. To crush Midgard with a superior force would not gain the admiration of those he wished still, deep in his heart, to gain approval from. Despite everything that had occurred to him there, it still made Loki shudder to think of Asgard laid waste. _

_ Since Loki had continued to refuse, next had come Thanos’ ‘persuasion’. _

_ “The humans whom you are apparently so eager to protect, they hold you in no esteem, Asgardian. You know the tales which they tell of you, I am sure.” Thanos’ grin had widened unpleasantly. “Shall we take inspiration from their ideas?” _

_ And so, Loki had discovered to his agony, to be immortal had some decided drawbacks. To continue to live, even as you are disemboweled and your entrails slowly pulled from your body, screaming until your voice breaks. To be able to stay conscious as you are bound with those entrails, and then to watch through pain-blurred eyes as beings reminiscent of Midgardian snakes take their places over your violated flesh. _

_ To Loki’s memory, the Midgardian tales spoke of only  _ one _snake, which dripped venom on him until the supposed end of the world. Not of three snakes, which dripped acid rather than venom. One onto his face, another onto his already despoiled belly, and a third….lower. In an area no being, God or otherwise, should wish to feel acid’s bite._

_ Seconds became as sevendays, sevendays as millennia. Pain upon pain upon pain, and being immortal, Death could not release Loki from his torment. He could give in, or he could suffer. Without end.  _

_ Perhaps almighty, golden Thor would have lasted longer. Loki, alone and already afflicted with a deep, soul-rending pain before the torture had even  _ begun _, had not sufficient strength._

_ So when Thanos had come to ask him for the fourth time if ‘The Asgardian’ would join the cause, Loki had agreed, as best he could with his shredded, stripped voice. _

_ But first had come the test. Thanos had given Loki a scepter, an item of immense power, and ordered him to reach across the cold expanse of space with his mind. To find a mortal who would gather information on the Tesseract for them. The scepter’s power was vast, but in thrall to Thanos’, and so Loki had no choice but to do as he had been bid.  _

_ Loki had found the Tesseract immediately – its power was so great, it was like a star shining from the surface of Midgard – but he  _ had _been surprised to discover which mortals had placed themselves around it. That Thor’s friend Erik Selvig had been introduced to the Tesseract at the precise moment Loki had discovered it….an interesting crossing of paths._

_ Outwardly, Loki had called on the magic of the scepter, seeing through Erik’s eyes, urging him to take the offer to work on the Tesseract. _

_ Inwardly, Loki began to plan. Why would the Worlds Tree conspire to put  _ this _particular mortal in arm’s length of the Tesseract? It did suggest that perhaps there was some purpose as to why Loki was here. Perhaps it was to undermine Thanos’ plans._

_ Thanos thought him broken, thought him won to the cause, and Loki had best be certain he gave Thanos no reason to think otherwise.  _

_ At first, he had only watched the mortals. He learned of their plans, learned of the Tesseract’s potential. And all the while, whenever possible, he increased his mental defenses, so that any plans or schemes he wrought would not be discovered. He would find a way to defeat Thanos. _

_ After several mortal months, despite the toll working with Thanos’ magic, and spying on the mortals, was taking on him – perhaps even  _ because _of it- Loki’s loyalty and his ability were judged proven. Thanos had accepted him into the ranks._

_ Even as Loki continued to lay his own plans. _

_ Thanos named Loki as ‘ally’, and ordered the Chitauri and their leader, a nameless creature known only as ‘The Other’, to follow him. Thanos enjoyed observing the in-fighting between his minions almost as much as he enjoyed causing pain in the Realms he overran, and Loki was all too aware of how Thanos relished the tension between Loki and The Other. _

_ When it came time to attack Midgard, Loki knew what he had to do. He had to act the perfect ally, the perfect servant. So he accepted the scepter a second time, and used it to open the door, emerging on Midgard. _

_ The Midgardians truly did not have the weapons to stop a God. Still, showing mercy would not be tolerated by Thanos, so Loki had to show none. _

_ The aftereffects of the torture, the spying through Selvig, and finally the effects of crossing through between worlds had drained his strength, but Loki was still far stronger than the mortal soldiers.  _

_ He used the scepter to claim a few minds that would be useful to him, and to cement his control over Selvig. This would be the mortal who would allow him to open the portal…and perhaps to stop Thanos’ army at a later time. _

_ Loki had expected – indeed, hoped! – that Thor would hear of what was transpiring, even as he hoped somehow, no doubt foolishly, that their paths would not cross. But he had not predicted the interference of other mortals, the self-styled ‘Avengers’.  _

_ They were still no real match for him, though he toyed with them, as that was what Thanos would want, and indeed  _ expect _._

_ Even as Thanos remained ignorant of how Loki toyed with  _ him _._

_ In the end, all had gone as Loki had hoped. Mortals had died, but not many, relatively. Thor, and thus Asgard, was forewarned as to Thanos’ presence. The Tesseract would go to Asgard, where it would be better protected. And although he could have escaped easily, Loki decided to allow himself to be taken to Asgard too. Once he had explained his plan to Odin, perhaps they would finally  _ see _his worthiness. Perhaps he was not the warrior Odin had wanted, but as a strategist, was he not unparalleled in all of Yggdrasil? He had murdered the treacherous Laufey, and very nearly destroyed a race of monsters already, had he not?_

*~*~* 

Loki falls silent, his gaze on Fury’s face, and Jane twists her hands together. It’s so much to take in, and even then, so many things remain unanswered-

“Maybe I’m a little slow,” Fury allows, and though Jane can’t see his face, she can all too easily imagine his disbelieving expression. “But I’m not sure I see the ‘brilliant plan’ in all of this.”

Loki blinks at him. “Thanos wants to destroy Asgard, and if he does, the rest of the Worlds Tree will wither and die, including your precious Midgard. But now Asgard is forewarned, and can marshal its defenses.”

“So you thought it was OK to offer our planet up on the chopping block, while you bought time for your home world.”

A look Jane can’t read ghosts over Loki’s face, and then he shakes his head, starting to look irritated. “It was not _I_ who put the Tesseract here. If it had been in Alfheim, Thanos would have had me attack _them_. Though I admit, having it here on Midgard increased the chance that Thor would catch wind of it the quicker.”

“I see,” said Fury, continuing to sound unconvinced. “So the fact that nearly a thousand of us died, so you could pull your little con on Thanos and Asgard would be warned, that was acceptable collateral damage to you? You don’t think very much of human lives, apparently. Does your girlfriend know about this anti-human attitude of yours?” Fury asks, motioning behind him towards the window and Jane.

Loki pauses, taking a deep breath, and Jane can almost _feel_ him restraining his own anger. _He is – or was – a prince. He’s probably not used to having his judgment questioned._

“I will grant you that I did not always hold humans in the highest esteem…until quite recently.” His gaze touches Jane through the glass again. “But I find it strange that you should mock me about my reckoning of human lives, when _you_ so easily relieve each other of those same lives. Mortals kill each other daily, in war, for sport.” Loki leans forward, eyes narrowing, a sharp edge to his voice now. “What of the millions of humans dead thanks to genocide, such as your Holocaust? My thousand victims are petty, compared to that. Why am I to be held to a higher standard? Just because it seems easier for me to kill than you?” Loki leans back in his chair again. “If I recall correctly, do not your priests tell you, ‘Let he who is blameless cast the first rock’? How much blood is on _your_ hands, Director Nick Fury?”

“I’ve killed,” Fury admits, “but I didn’t enjoy doing so. That’s the difference between you and me. I feel _remorse_.”

“Would my remorse gain back the lives that I took? No. It is a waste of time and energy. And contrary to what you believe, I did not _enjoy_ doing so.”

“Could’ve fooled us,” Fury remarks.

“I was trying to fool _Thanos_ ,” Loki retorts. “He was observing me the entire time.”

“And how would he do that?” Fury asks, sounding skeptical. 

Loki rolls his eyes. “With the scepter, of course. Did you not notice how it affected your fellows? How your so-called Avengers nearly came to blows? That was his doing, enacted for his amusement as he watched. As he also watched me, for his amusement, and to ensure that I was doing as he bade me.” Loki pauses, then says, more quietly than before. “It is no great contest to defeat those weaker than yourself. Believe me, I did not _enjoy_ doing so. But had I not taunted your Avengers, had I not killed and injured your people, had I not given the Chitauri entry into this Realm….the cost of not doing so would have been much worse. I needed to gain time, for Asgard to be warned and gird itself.” He pauses. “And I was successful.”

“Yeah, you mentioned that.” Fury yawns, sounding bored.

“Were you not _listening_? If Asgard falls, eventually Midgard falls, as would the entirety of the Worlds Tree. The fate of your entire planet, and Asgard, and indeed _all Nine Realms_ , weighted against the lives of one thousand mortals. Is that not then a reasonable cost?”

“Well, I really don’t understand how this Thanos creature runs his little war games. Why would he even bother taking a dig at Odin? Seems like a waste of time to me, to send an _exiled_ Norse God to lead his army to retrieve the all-important Cosmic Cube.” Fury points out.

Fury’s barb goes deep, Jane can see it in the tensing of Loki’s shoulders, but he doesn’t rise to the bait. 

Loki shakes his head. “ _Games_ , indeed. You speak more truly than you know, mortal. Thanos enjoys relishing his conquests, dragging them out as long as he can, to glean as much fear and pain and bloodshed from each battle. It _entertains_ him. It is not uncommon for him to send one wave of Chitauri, let them do their damage, and then call a retreat, only to attack again months later, once the Realm is starting to think they may be safe again. He may attack two, three, four times, before the final slaughter and conquest. When he has _broken_ his victims.” Loki pauses again, stares down at his hands. “In this case, he preferred to sit back and move his chess pieces – myself included – around on the board, to test the mettle of Midgard and of Thor, and to bide his time.”

“So you’re telling me this isn’t over,” Fury says, and it’s not a question.

Loki shakes his head once more. “In truth, I cannot say. Perhaps he will attack Midgard again, yes. Though I think it is equally likely that he will attack Asgard next, since gaining the Tesseract appears an important task for him.” Loki pauses again, brow darkening. “Though again, given how you Midgardians decimated his Chitauri hoard, perhaps he would prefer to annihilate you first after all.”

“Is that a threat, Loki?” Fury asks, his voice dangerously quiet.

“No. I am merely giving an educated opinion on Thanos’ future plans.” Loki’s eyes narrow in a calculating way. “Perhaps, if you are sufficiently cooperative with me in regards to Jane Foster, I could be persuaded to help you defend yourselves against Thanos, should he choose to attack here first.”

“Our nukes seemed to work just fine against his army. Who says we need you?”

Loki laughs coldly. “That was against the Chitauri. Against Thanos? Be not so certain.”

“Funny how you’re only offering to help us _now_.”

Loki shrugs. “Would you have believed me, had I offered my help earlier?”

“Who says I believe you now?”

“I did not say such. You merely asked a question. I am answering it. And it is entirely up to you what you believe.”

“Given you’re supposed to be the God of Lies, I think you can assume I don’t believe you.”

“Some call me God of Lies, yes. But that does not mean that I lie all the time,” Loki points out. He glances up at Jane through the glass, and that’s when she thinks: _Wait a minute, didn’t I say that to Fury myself….yesterday?_

_ Did he hear me say that? Was he  _ watching _?_

Loki leans forward over the table again. “Are we not _both_ liars, Director Nick Fury? But again, I can only repeat: Sometimes one must lie for the greater good. Just as you lied to your Avengers about Agent Coulson being dead.” 

Jane gasps, her previous thought washed away by the shock, and next to her, she’s aware of Erik is reacting in a similar way. _What?_

Jane wishes she could see Fury’s face. “This isn’t about me,” Fury contradicts, calmly.

“I am not making judgments. I am merely pointing out that we both lie. Though I can well understand your reticence to admit to your ‘Avengers’ that he is alive – I am sure you would not want that green beast to come after you in retaliation.”

Fury snorts. “He did quite a number on _you_.”

“Did he? Again, be not so certain. If that green beast could destroy your flying fortress, Thanos might not become suspicious if the same beast were able to lay a God low. The Chitauri were on the brink of defeat, and Selvig was about to carry out the final part of my plan. It seemed an opportune time to allow myself to be… _defeated_.” Next to her, Jane can almost feel Erik’s anger. What is Loki talking about? 

But Loki is still talking: “It is the better for all of us, if Thanos remains ignorant of my betrayal-“ 

Jane is so busy concentrating on Loki, that she hasn’t noticed Erik leaving, but now he bursts into the interrogation room, glaring at both Loki and Fury.

“What is he talking about, Director? Is Coulson alive?”

“I assure you that he is. I have seen him with my own eyes. In truth, I am glad he survived. He is perceptive, for a mortal; he saw through my act, saw how weak my ‘conviction’ was, as he put it. Do not be angry, Doctor Erik Selvig. Your Director needed something to rally his Avengers, and the death of the ‘Son of Coul’ was convenient.” 

Erik shakes his head slowly. “We’ll discuss that later,” he growls, that comment clearly directed at Fury. “I want to know about this ‘plan’ of yours that I was supposed to carry out.” Erik rasps at Loki, his gaze angry enough to melt glass.

Loki raises a brow at him. “Is it not obvious? Your – what did you call it? Your ‘safety switch’? – which allowed the portal to be closed by the scepter.”

Erik crosses his arms defensively, glaring at Loki. “You’re claiming responsibility for that? For making sure there was a way to defeat you?”

Loki raises the other eyebrow too, a slight arrogance creeping into his voice. “You were under my complete control, Dr. Selvig. Do you _really_ think that you could have built that in, without my express knowledge and permission? Even if I did not explicitly say as much to you?”

“You’re lying,” Erik grinds out between clenched teeth. “I built it into the portal because that’s what any good engineer would _do_. That’s how things are supposed to be designed. And now you want to claim it was all part of your brilliant master plan? That’s _convenient_.”

Loki smiles, but for once it doesn’t seem malicious. “How else could I prevent the Chitauri from doing too much damage, while still appearing to Thanos to be his loyal servant? Does it not seem at all possible that it was _I_ who put the idea into your mind, to create your ‘safety switch’?”

Erik shakes his head angrily. “No, I don’t buy it. I know what you made me do, and I know that building in an ‘off-switch’ wasn’t part of that plan.” He closes his hands into fists and takes a step forward, ignoring the guards starting to walk into the room behind him. “You’re a liar, _Loki of Asgard_ , and I don’t know what you’ve done to Jane to blind her to what you are doing, but you can’t fool me. I know exactly what you are.”

Loki laughs outright at that, throwing his head back and chortling, and Jane bites her lip as a few guards reflexively raise their guns. Fury waves them off, even as Loki gets control of his hilarity. “My apologies for my amusement, Dr. Selvig, but you do _not_ know _what_ I am. But in truth, not many do.” He shakes his head and smiles ruefully. 

“You are angry,” he continues, “and that is understandable. And you fear for Jane, also understandable. I am not angry with you for reporting my presence here to SHIELD. I can fully understand your desire to protect Jane, however misplaced it is. In fact, it is admirable. Not many would risk angering a God.”

But Erik’s face only darkens further. “Are you threatening me-“

Fury slams his hand down on the table, though only Erik (and Jane) jump. “Enough!” he snaps. “Doctor, this is not the time.” Fury beckons a guard over. “Escort Dr. Selvig out. _Now_.”

Erik grumbles and glares, but allows himself to be herded out. Jane waits, but he doesn’t return to the viewing room. Jane feels relieved, and then guilty because of her relief.

But Fury is speaking again, drawing Jane’s attention back to the interrogation room. “You’ll have to forgive me if this all seems just a little too convenient. You attack us, but only because the Tesseract was already here, and in any case, that’s a good thing because Thor will notice. You make sure Selvig puts in an off-switch, so we can defeat the Chitauri no matter what. And you get to beat up on Thor and all of us because it’s part of your cover, and so on and so on. Thor, last I heard, thinks you are out of your fucking gourd. _Crazy_. You _sure_ you didn’t attack us only to get at him?”

Loki’s expression darkens again at the mention of Thor, and when he speaks, there’s an ugly edge to his voice that Jane recognizes all too quickly. “Thanos, as I explained, saw into my mind at the start. He knows all, everything about me. Thor and I are – _were_ \- not on the best of terms, and Thanos knew it. If I had balked at fighting with Thor, if I had shown any sign at all of being merciful towards you Midgardians, Thanos would have become suspicious, and perhaps attacked Midgard the faster, with an even larger army. He enjoys his conquests, and as I said, he prefers to drag them out as long as he can, savouring every moment, but I believe the Tesseract is too important for him to tarry long. Had he suspected me, your Realm would already have fallen to him.”

“You said he still might attack us.”

“He will eventually attack, that is certain. But not here first, perhaps. And though you obviously do not approve of my scheme, it _did_ work. Thor and Asgard were forewarned. Was it not Thor himself who told you of the Chitauri army before it arrived? He even suspected there was someone at work behind the scenes, someone above myself calling the dance steps. Since you seem deaf, I shall repeat: Had I not appeared to serve Thanos, both Midgard and Asgard may well have been in flames by now.”

“You know,” Fury drawls, “I can’t help but notice the things you left out. Like what happened in Puente Antiguo. When you sent that giant robot to kill Thor, and you nearly leveled Dr. Foster’s whole town? Where does _that_ fit in?”

Loki looks down at his hands, his shoulders tensing again. Jane can practically feel him weighing his words, and her own nails dig into her palms. While the Battle of Manhattan had obviously been _bad_ , Puente Antiguo had been her home for nearly a year, and Loki’s attack there hits her closer to home. A _lot_ closer to home.

But when he looks up, Jane realizes he’s not going to give Fury – or her – an answer. It’s written all over his face and body, even before he says: “It is nothing of import to you. It was – _is_ – family affairs.”

“People died, and homes and businesses were destroyed,” Fury rebukes Loki, his voice hard. “Therefore it _is_ my affair.”

Loki leans back in his chair and crosses his arms. And says nothing.

“Once again, I feel it’s necessary to point out how you don’t really seem to care about human lives that much,” Fury remarks, and Jane knows that comment is really aimed at her, again. _And he makes a good point,_ the negative little voice pipes up. _Why should Loki value you so much, compared to all the other people he killed without any qualms? Could it really be your Einstein-Rosen Bridge theory, after all? Makes much more sense than him valuing you just for the whole friends-with-kinky-benefits thing-_

“As I said before, I do not see much point in remorse, Director Fury.” Loki says, leaning forward and laying both hands on the table. “Instead, perhaps you will permit me to make amends. I can and will help you defend this Realm.”

“And if I think you’re full of bullshit?” Fury counters.

Loki shrugs. “Surely you must realize by now that you cannot keep me prisoner.”

“Maybe not, but I bet I can ruin Jane’s life instead. Kind of hard to do research while you’re on the run,” Fury remarks, and Jane feels her spine stiffen.

Loki laughs darkly. “And yet you prefer to think of yourself as the one with ‘good’ intentions.” But then his expression turns serious. “Jane is innocent. Her only crime is bringing comfort to me, putting her trust in me. Allowing me to warm her bed.”

“That doesn’t mean you aren’t controlling her mind,” Fury snaps.

Loki smiles but it’s bitter. “Despite what you and Dr. Selvig think, I lack that ability. Well, beyond the capability needed to cast illusions and trick the senses. But controlling minds in the sense that you mean it? That power belongs to Thanos. Without the scepter, I no longer have that kind of influence over the thoughts of others.”

“So you claim,” Fury says, clearly not won over. “You have an excuse for everything, don’t you?” he observes.

“Need I point out that I am hardly the one who convinced her to continue working on her version of the Bifröst? As I recall, it is you and SHIELD who encouraged her to continue her work, and now you want her to work with the ‘iron man’. I see only _your_ hands in this, Director Nick Fury. Not mine.”

Fury snorts and crosses his arms, but says nothing.

“If I may ask, why _do_ you want Jane to build you a portal? I have not been given the impression that you as a people are truly ready to visit other Realms.”

Jane doesn’t think Fury will answer, but he surprises her. “If she can manage to build one – and that’s a _big_ ‘if’ – it’ll be under our protection. And control.”

“Ah,” said Loki.

“Besides, your brother is an Avenger. We need a quick way to get him here, if we need him. Probably we will, if your friend Thanos and his alien buddies come back.” Again, Jane gets the sense that Fury is deliberately goading Loki.

Predictably, Loki stiffens. “I already promised my aid, did I not? Which is _more_ than you deserve. You should consider yourself fortunate that I have no plans to retaliate against you for threatening Jane with torture.”

Jane’s jaw drops, as Loki’s comment reminds her about her earlier thought. _Was he here the whole time listening in, hidden, watching me go insane with anxiety?_ She’d never told him Fury’s plans, so how does Loki _know_? Her nails bite into her upper arms, but then she makes an effort to calm herself, aware of Romanov and Barton watching her out of the corner of her eye. _Later._

If Fury is afraid, he gives no sign that Jane can detect – at least not while staring at the back of his head, anyway. “Assuming I believe you, and this was all part of some elaborate plan,” Fury goes on, as if Loki hasn’t just threatened him, “If you can pull off a big scheme like that once, maybe you’re doing it again, right _now_. It doesn't seem very coincidental that the last time you were here, you were all about building a portal, and now here you are again, this time in a ‘relationship’ with the planet’s foremost authority on Einstein-Rosen bridges.”

Loki looks down at his hands and takes a breath, looking suddenly worn out to Jane. “Even a trickster may grow tired of scheming. And although it may not be apparent, I am under house arrest here on Midgard. Asgard is watching, and if I harm a single human, the hammer will fall,” he confides. Then he pauses, and adds bitterly. “So to speak.”

“Yeah? Well, Earth is really large ‘house’,” Fury observes.

Loki shrugs. “Perhaps to you. I have seen the entirety of the Worlds Tree.”

There’s another long pause, during which the two men seem to be sizing each other up. Finally, Fury says: “You sure there is nothing else you want to attempt to explain to me, to convince me? Because as of right now, I’m not buying it.” Somehow, Jane is sure Fury is still pressing Loki about Puente Antiguo, and what made him attack the very first time.

But Loki is done, apparently. “We are going in circles,” he asserts. “ I have told you all that is needful for you to know. Now you must make your decisions based on that. Jane has had a trying time and needs to rest, and you and I have no further business here.” He gets up, staring at Jane through the glass. As a parting shot, he adds to Fury: “I fully understand your reticence to believe me. Like many others before you, you choose to expect the worst from me. However, know that I shall take great pleasure in proving your expectations wrong.”

There’s a blinding flash of light and Loki is then standing next to Jane. “Let us be off,” he says to her, taking her elbow gently. He ignores their audience of Barton and Romanov, even as the former automatically gropes for a weapon he no longer carries. 

“Wait!” Fury calls through the glass, and Loki blinks over at him, then motions with his hand. Another flash, and Fury is standing next to all of them. He looks disoriented for a second.

“Director?” Loki asks, a smirk hovering around his mouth, as he watches Fury trying to process what just happened.

“If we need to contact you? You know, for your ‘help’,” Fury asks, unable to hide a note of sarcasm.

“Contact Jane. She knows how to summon me.” Loki waves his hand in an elaborate gesture, still holding Jane’s arm, and in another eye-dazzling flash of light, she feels him remove them both from the area.

*~*~*

The moment they materialize – if that is the word – in front of her trailer, Jane braces herself for the worst. Her mind is still awhirl with all of the details she just heard Loki spill to Fury, but for the moment, she’s worried about more practical things. 

Like the state of her trailer.

First, though, she glances over at the lab. It’s dark, thank God. Jane just can’t deal with Darcy right now.

Jane steps forward to check her trailer door, her heart sinking as she sees the damage to the lock and the frame. _Oh c_ _rap_. She expected as much, but it still leaves her feeling slightly ill, slightly _violated_.

She doesn’t have a key to the padlock SHIELD left in its place. Double crap. Then again, couldn’t Loki just teleport them both inside?

She asks him, and he looks confused as to why she wants to get in there, but he does what she asks. 

The mess inside is worse than she expected. Everything that was in a cabinet, closet, or drawer is on the floor. The boxes of notes she meant to take to the lab are gone entirely.

Her eyes sting, but she shoves back the tears. She’s not going to let SHIELD win, even in this small thing.

Except, hasn’t she already won? Thanks to Loki.

_ Um, won _ what, _exactly?_ mocks the negative voice in her head. _Your home is trashed, SHIELD may or may not allow you to continue your research, you’ve probably lost your reputation for good in the scientific community,_ and _you’ve lost your friendship with Erik. And probably Darcy too, once she finds out!_

_ Messes can be cleaned up,  _ Jane counters. _Heck, maybe Loki’s magic can help with that somehow. SHIELD will let me continue my work if they know what’s_ good _for them. If they don’t want an angry God of Mischief on their hands. And as for reputation…_ what _fucking_ _reputation? My fellow academics already decided I was nuts a long time ago!_

The friendship loss is harder to rationalize, but it’s too late, at least for her friendship with Erik. She supposes she can only keep on reaching out to him, apologizing, and maybe with time he’ll forgive her. What else can she do?

And there’s no way to know how Darcy will react, so why worry about something that may not even happen? That’s a waste of energy Jane just doesn’t have right now. 

Speaking of Gods of Mischief, hers is looking around at the damage, his expression darkening rapidly with anger. “I take it SHIELD did this?” he asks.

Jane doesn’t think she can handle Loki having a tantrum right now – she’s barely holding on to her own self-control – so she does her best to placate him. “I think it’s what they always do in situations like this. It’s not personal or anything. Besides,” she shrugs, “I have to move anyway, right? I may as well organize and pack up this mess all at the same time.” Fighting to stay calm, she wonders if her lab has been similarly tossed, and whether Darcy is totally freaking out right now. Wherever she is.

Jane feels totally adrift, overwhelmed. There’s too much new information about Loki to think through, and the only familiar, safe place she knows is a disaster zone. She needs to just find a calm, _clean_ place to try to work everything out in her head.

“Can you take us somewhere else?” she asks him. “I just need a place to…think. To rest.” She wishes they could just go to the new apartment, but although it’s clean and is ready for her to move into, that’s all. There’s nothing there, no bed, no sofa, no table, not even a single chair.

“Of course,” he replies. He stops still for a moment, and he looks like he is concentrating very deeply on something, and then there’s the expected flash of light.

They wind up in another hotel room. Jane sighs inwardly, but there are no better options available. She collapses on the bed, resting her head in her hands and closing her eyes, as she tries to decide what to say to Loki. The silence stretches between them.

She wants to believe him, to believe everything he’d said to Fury. It doesn’t absolve him of everything he’s done, but at least she can start to understand, maybe even (eventually) accept his past.

And yet, he’s such a good _actor_. Can she really believe him?

There’s so many things she wants to ask him. Where to start? “That was quite a…story.” Phrasing it like that makes it sound like she doesn’t believe him, but she can’t think what else to say.

“You may call it that,” Loki replies. He seems calm, but he doesn’t meet Jane’s eyes. Instead, he walks over to a window, looking out.

Something feels off to Jane. He’s such a good actor, that’s been established, so why is he making it so obvious that something is _wrong_?

“Why didn’t you tell Fury everything?” she asks, standing up and approaching him hesitantly.

There’s a long silence as Loki continues to stare out the window. “I may only say to you what I said to him: It is not relevant.” Now he does turn to her, meeting her gaze squarely. “I omitted only two minor pieces of information, Jane Foster. One is between Asgard and myself, and best left there. The other…” He shrugs and turns away again. “Also not of key import.”

Jane waits, but he says nothing more, and finally she can stand the silence no longer. She tries switching to a topic that seems safer; maybe she can get him to open up about those ‘two pieces of information’ sometime later. “’I know how to contact you?’ That’s kind of news to me.”

Loki’s brow furrows as he turns back to her. “You say my name, and I come. Is that not sufficient?”

“I called your name yesterday at least once. Probably ‘summoned’ you in my head at least fifty times. But I didn’t see you for _hours_.” Even as she says it, she knows what his answer will be, she already figured out as much from what he said to Fury.

“I was present the whole time,” he answers, confirming it. “I knew the moment Agent Romanov made contact with you. I watched and made sure no one harmed you.”

“And you didn’t think that maybe instead of watching, you should’ve helped me get out of there, I don’t know, _right away_? Or even just let me know somehow that you were _there_?” Jane snaps, her voice rising. Her forehead gives a warning throb. She probably shouldn’t be arguing with him, her headache wants to reestablish itself, but somehow she just can’t let this go.

“You were never in any actual danger,” Loki comments, eyes calmly assessing her. 

“Yeah, but I didn’t know that!” she retorts. 

Loki blinks at her, irritation back on his face. “I thought your faith in me would sustain you. Perhaps I was mistaken.”

Goaded beyond irritation, Jane starts yelling. “Faith?! What the hell are you talking about?! You promised to keep SHIELD from making my life miserable if they ever found out about us, and then when it actually happens, you let me sit and stew for hours, wondering if you were ever going to show up?! Sitting there and thinking Fury was really going to torture me?! Almost panicking myself into an aneurysm!”

Loki’s expression darkens further, but his voice stays mild, that tone which by now only irritates Jane even further, gasoline thrown on her anger. Like he’s a parent and she’s an irrational child. “I suppose I expected that you would either trust me completely, and thus not fear what SHIELD might do, knowing I would never allow harm to come to you. Or otherwise that you would betray me and cooperate with them. Never once did I think that you would defend me to them with such vim, all while seriously _doubting_ me.”

Another spike of pain shoots through her head, and Jane bites her lip hard, fighting for control. She manages to calm down, but only _just_. “How could I _not_ have doubts, Loki? You’ve never tried to explain to me what happened, why you attacked us. Never mind the fact that, as everyone has reminded me over and over lately- you’re _the_ _God of Lies_! I thought you’d abandoned me!” Her voice starts to rise all over again.

He looks bemused. “Despite my reputation, why would you believe such of me? Have I ever given you cause-“

Jane shakes her head, her forehead giving another warning throb. “Why should you put yourself out for a casual sex partner?”

He stares at her for a long moment. “I am a God. And I have chosen to have this ‘arrangement’ with _you_. _And_ I promised to keep you from harm. Was I not clear? I do not understand your lack of faith. Your kind once worshipped us.”

Jane can’t help laughing at the ridiculousness of it all, hysteria edging her amusement. “I’m a _scientist_ , Loki. I deal in evidence. Solid things, things you can see and touch and measure. Not faith. Not religion. If you want to call yourself a god, that’s fine. Yes, you use magic, and I don’t understand how it works, but Thor once told me that magic and science are basically the same, and I can live with that…for now. But expecting me to put my faith in you, blindly….well, that’s a tall order.” 

Loki snorts and shakes his head, turning away from her dismissively. “You Midgardians have lost your way. You scorn religion, but still you worship. The only thing that has changed is _what_ you worship - Money. Identity. Power. Knowledge. And you think that makes you more advanced than those who came before you?”

Jane’s not about to get into a religious discussion with him, not with her head throbbing like this. “Don’t change the subject, Loki! This is about you and me. I had doubts, yes, but you apparently had doubts about me, too! Did you really think I would _betray_ you?” she asks, throwing his words back at him.

But Loki only stares out the window for a long moment. “Everyone else has,” he finally mutters, so quietly Jane is barely able to hear him.

“So you’re judging me based on what _other_ people have done to you? Swell. How unfair is that? When have I ever not been truthful with you?” she accuses him, totally offended now.

He turns and takes a step back towards her, eyes narrowed. “You never mentioned to me how Stark was building a power source specifically for your Rainbow Bridge.”

Jane rolls her eyes. “Can you blame me? Besides, you didn’t ask.” 

He cocks his head at her. “As you did not ask me what happened before we met,” he points out coolly.

He’s right, sort of, but Jane isn’t in the mood to concede his point. “What’s happened to you, that you live your life like this? Always waiting for the other shoe to drop; always expecting betrayals?” It reminds her of how surprised he’d seemed, when she’d chosen him over Thor, the day they’d fought behind her trailer.

But he turns away from her again. “As I said, it is family business, Jane Foster.”

Jane is so angry she throws her hands up in the air. “So I have to trust you implicitly, because you’re a _god_ , and yet, you don’t have to trust me back.” Jane rubs at her aching forehead, then her eyes. Maybe this is really not the best time for this.

If she wants him to open up to her more, attacking him isn’t exactly going to accomplish that goal, is it?

After yet another long silence, Loki speaks. “My apologies, Lady,” he says stiffly. And rather insincerely, as far as Jane can tell.

Jane finally becomes aware of just how emotionally raw she is. She shakes her achy head, slowly. “You know what? I can’t deal with this right now. It’s been a long day-and-a-half, and I need some time to get my head on straight.” The only private place in here is the bathroom, and Jane totters towards it. 

It’s probably a bad idea leaving him alone, as she has no clue where they are, and he’ll probably blip away from here the first chance he gets. But she’s too tired and headachy and wrung out to care.

Before she closes the bathroom door, she can’t resist adding back over her shoulder: “I don’t want your apologies. I want you to trust me. To be _open_ with me.” But she doesn’t wait for a reply that she’s pretty sure won’t come, she just closes the door.

She’s all alone now. Except for her headache, of course. Massaging her forehead doesn’t help. Maybe a hot shower? She wants to wash off the events of the last day and a half anyway. Erik’s anger. Fury’s mistrust. And what she had done with Loki in the prison cell – why had she let him seduce her like that? 

_ You really  _ have _lost it. No wonder Erik and Fury don’t trust you. Do you even trust yourself anymore?_

_ I don’t know.  _

_ I need to take a shower and forget about all this. At least for a couple minutes.  _

She gets undressed, dropping her clothes in an untidy pile on the floor, and steps into the shower. She adjusts the water to nearly-scalding, but then the memories start to crowd into her mind again.

A thousand people killed or hurt, all to protect Asgard. And Midgard. And _everything_. According to Loki.

Coulson _alive_.

Loki tortured, intestines torn out, acid dripped on him.

Loki getting Erik to build a way out into the portal. According to _Loki_.

_ He’s the God of Lies, _ Erik’s voice, and Fury’s voice, whisper in her mind

It echoes over and over.

_ Lies. _

_ Lies. _

_ Lies. _

It’s too much, it’s _been_ too much. Her interrogation and imprisonment by SHIELD, the trashing of her home, the threat of losing her research (again!), the probable loss of Darcy, and Erik…

Jane’s head feels as if it’s going to explode, and she can’t hold back the floodgates any longer. She puts her face in her hands and cries, hot water pouring down and sluicing the tears away.

*~*~*

He stretches out a thread of magic to follow after Jane once she closes the door between them, to keep an eye on her, and he can feel her distress. So odd, that he feels so little remorse about the other Midgardians whom he has killed and maimed, and yet _her_ tears move him to guilt. Is she in the process of changing him, influencing him? Is this how she turned Thor from arrogant boy, to the warrior-hero of two Realms?

He had truly not intended for Jane to suffer. His purpose had been two-fold: to see what SHIELD would do, and to see what his lover would do. Had he realized the depths of her internal conflict, he would have intervened faster. Or so he tells himself.

Perhaps _his_ faith in her faith had been misplaced. _These Midgardians and their eroded beliefs. They still worship, but all the wrong things, and Jane Foster is no different._ No wonder she had not trusted him, despite the fact he _is_ a God.

He is immortal, has seen the universe, and knows just how insignificant the lives of Midgardians are, in the grand scheme of things. Thanos, and stopping him, is vastly more important than a few lives, and a few _lies_. 

And yet, unwelcome as the thought is, he knows that he is being unjust to Jane. He _is_ the God of Mischief and Lies, is he not? Indeed, he has always felt pride about that, about boasting the intelligence needed to wield both lies and mischief. And now his lover mistrusts him, and yet he takes offense? _How ironic._

And there is also this: Jane Foster trusts him enough, not merely just to share her body with him, but to yield complete control to him. At least up to the present point.

Loki sighs and rubs his own forehead, feeling an echo of Jane’s headache. He is not yet ready to give up his dominion over her, so to speak. And yet, can he yield to her what she most desires – the full measure of truth, every last word and deed? 

_ Surely not. _

_ He _ can barely tolerate the idea of the monster he truly is, under this illusory skin. Surely Jane Foster, Midgardian and ‘scientist’, will be terrified and disgusted. 

As to the other matter, though…Loki pauses.

If he closes his eyes, it is as if he is back there again. The nightmare so easily made flesh once more, that it disturbs him:

_ He pins the weak little human male down on the stone table, reaching into his coat pocket for the device which will remove the man’s eye. Blank-faced, he plunges it into the mortal’s head, but disgust surges inside him at the  _ inelegance _of the whole process. Loki is a warrior, he has killed and will kill again, but these mortals are no warriors, there is no glory in this, even to one such as himself-_

_ The scepter suddenly purrs in his other hand, holding the mortal still even as he expires from shock, and almost against his will, Loki’s gaze goes to his victim’s face. The eye that has been removed, it is the same eye his ‘father’ lacks- _

Yes, remember how your supposed father lied to you, _Thanos’ voice whispers in his mind, cruel and amused._ How he allowed you to grow up believing you were equal to your Asgardian brother, and your Asgardian brothers- and sister-in-arms. All the while, planning to install you on a Jotun throne, a Realm away from the life you had made and that you _loved_. How he planned to exile you to Jotunheim, to sacrifice your happiness for his ‘peace’.

Remember how disappointed he was, how he cast you out, when you should be king, when the Asgardians should fear, love, and obey you. See these humans about you, observe their fear. They fear you and your strength. Does that not make you feel  _ powerful _ , orphaned god?

_ It did. And so Loki had given in, smiling cruelly as the humans screamed and ran. He conjured his armour about himself, trailing unhurriedly after them…   _

And later, locked in Fury’s glass cage:

_ Loki watches Romanov through the glass, listening to her words. She would sacrifice much to get her ‘Hawkeye’ back. How interesting. _

How she loves him, _Thanos sneers, so loud in Loki’s head that Loki wishes he could somehow cover his ears and silence the hated voice. Dimly, he is aware of the scepter, far away and yet somehow practically in this glass aquarium with him, thrumming subtly._

Nobody cares for you in that way, do they? Or ever did. How could they? God of Lies, and a Jotun. _Thanos laughs._ But on the other hand, is it not a weakness, to love? Perhaps you should demonstrate such to this mewling bag of female flesh.

_ Sudden rage fills Loki like boiling water, and almost before he realizes it, he is pressed up against the glass, promising _ _Romanov the horrors he will force Barton to visit upon her…_

Even while fighting Thor:

_ The Chitauri zip by, explosions in their wake. _

_ “Look at this! Look around you! You think this madness will end with your rule?” Thor pants desperately. _

_ Wavering, Loki looks past Thor’s shoulder at the destruction.  _

_ “It's too late. It's too late to stop it.” _

_ Thor shakes his head. “No. We can, together.” _

_ And Loki wants to, wants to give in. Perhaps this is where he can start to find his way back to….home.  _

_ But Thanos’ malice swirls in his brain.  _ They will never allow things to be as they were, _he whispers to Loki._ They will denounce you for the crimes you have committed, lock you up and parade their children by your cell as a warning. Besides, did you ever _have_ a home? Such childish foolishness. They tolerated you, _endured_ you, as Thor’s brother and a Prince, but they never truly cared for you. And that was when they believed you to be _Asgardian_.

_ Gritting his teeth, Loki stabs his knife forward, although he’s not sure if it is Thor he is trying to kill, or rather the dark voice inside his mind. “Sentiment,” he glowers down at his former brother. _

_ Even as he still looks frantically for a way out, one that will not alert Thanos. _

With an effort, Loki drags his attention back into the present. Can he trust Jane with this? How can he, when everyone else refuses to accept his words? Perhaps Coulson might – he had seen true, after all, as to Loki’s lack of ‘conviction’ – but somehow Loki doubts the mortal will be on his side, not after Loki stabbed him. 

But if he does not give her something of the truth….will she dissolve their ‘arrangement’? He does not think he can tolerate that. Out of all the Nine Realms, she is the only being to truly accept him (despite her obvious misgivings), and he does not want to give that up. His last brief foray into madness had cost several Midgardians their lives, and nearly an entire planet full of despised Jotuns. He does not wish to be driven down the path of rage and insanity once more.

She had defended him to her friend Erik, and to Fury. Even in the face of her own doubts. Surely that had earned her the privilege of being taken a _little_ further into his confidence?

Squaring his shoulders, he strides purposefully towards Jane in her artificial waterfall chamber, even as Thanos’ voice flits, amused, through his mind once more: 

_ But on the other hand, is it not a weakness, to love?   _

Followed closely by Romanov’s voice: 

_ Love is for children. _

And finally, Odin’s:

_ Foolish child. _

_ This is not love _ , Loki replies to the voices. What it is, he does not know, but he _requires_ it, so he will fight to keep it.

*~*~*

Jane lets the hot water beat down over the top of her head, closing her eyes and trying to stop the flow of tears. It’s not just the fight she just had with Loki, it’s _everything_ – all the stress and fear she’s had to endure over the last day and a half.

Not that this makes her feel any better. In a way, thanks to what she witnessed, she feels like she understands him a little better now. But after that fight, he feels even more closed-off from her. Once she gets out of the shower, will he even still be here? And if not, will that mean he’s ended things? 

Her forehead throbs mercilessly.

The cheap plastic shower curtain is pulled sharply back, and Loki steps right into the bathtub behind Jane, armour and all. The water patters wetly on him, and Jane almost laughs despite her tears. Some things don’t change, apparently – even in this situation, Loki keeps his fucking armour on!

At least for a second. His armour then shimmers and vanishes, and he steps forward to take her in his arms, drawing her a little out of the streaming water.

Jane can’t read his expression, and his eyes won’t meet hers, but his hands come up, massaging her scalp in small circles, and Jane’s eyes flutter shut. He murmurs something against her temple, too low for her to make out, but the pain in her head dims down to a dull, barely perceptible ache, then to nothing. Jane blinks. 

_ I thought he said he couldn’t heal other people? _

“Forgive me, my Jane,” he says, eyes downcast. He leans down, pressing his forehead to hers. His voice is just barely audible over the roar of the water. “I did not realize that events would impact you so severely. Truly, my purpose was to observe what SHIELD would do. Before my two most recent ‘visits’ to your world, I had not been on Midgard in _eons._ And in the past, your people had strong faith in their gods. They sacrificed to them, prayed to them, and did not doubt or question.” Finally, his eyes meet hers, and Jane thinks he looks a little sad. “I suppose it is all too easy for an immortal to forget how quickly things can change, in a mortal Realm.”

Jane sighs. It’s not really what she wants from him – she wants him to _trust_ her, not apologize, didn’t she tell him that? – but she doesn’t want to fight about it. Not now. Not until she feels like she has solid ground beneath her feet.

“Apology accepted,” she replies. _At least for now,_ she says to herself. What will happen the next time he goes off on her, if she tries to pry information out of him, however-

His face impassive, Loki reaches past her for the bar of soap and starts to work up a lather. “Turn around,” he says to her, beckoning her to walk out completely from under the falling water.

Jane raises an eyebrow but does as she’s told, turning away from him, and even though she’s expecting it, it’s hard to withhold a soft moan as he works soapy hands around and down her neck and shoulders, then along her arms. He even washes her hands, massaging the lather between each finger.

Jane expects him to reach around and touch her breasts next, but he doesn’t. She can almost feel him smirking behind her, as his hands slip and slide down along her belly instead, rubbing the suds across her skin in tiny circles, then around and back up her back, massaging skin and muscle as he goes. 

She has to brace both hands against the tiled wall as his hands move lower once more, rubbing slickly in circles on each buttock now. There’s a pause in his motions, and she can tell he’s kneeling down behind her. His hands move to the backs of her thighs and calves, before he reaches around to soap the front part of her legs. Then he lifts each foot and accords each a thorough wash, and Jane flinches a little, ticklish, much to his apparent amusement.

He stands back up again, pressing his chest firmly to her back, and delivers a soft kiss to the side of her neck. Jane closes her eyes, melting into him, nails digging into tile as his soapy fingers finally caress across her breasts. He spends a long time there, massaging the soap into her soft skin, then working his leisurely way around, one nipple at a time, in tantalizing circles. He finally squeezes each one gently, and runs his fingers down over her breast and belly in one fluid motion.

Jane pushes back into him, moaning and spreading her legs before he can demand it, whimpering when slick fingers start to explore between her legs. He chuckles, massaging the soap into her pubic hair, then he turns her back to face him, urging her legs further apart. His face is level with hers, bright blue eyes drinking in her expression, as he crouches slightly and allows his hand to resume soaping between her folds, circling her clit so slowly Jane has to bite back a curse.

Lust coils hotly in her belly, but when Jane nearly slips on the wet surface beneath her, she decides this really isn’t the best place for this. “Let me just wash my hair, and then let’s move somewhere where I’m less likely to break my leg,” she suggests, and Loki nods and moves back, letting her step under the spray and rinse herself.

He doesn’t stay hands-off for long, however, his slim fingers winding through her hair and taking over for her, a few moments after she starts to wash it. It feels _really_ good, Jane decides, relaxing as he scrubs and massages. After rinsing the shampoo away, she decides turnabout is fair play. “Your turn,” she informs him, pouring more shampoo into her hand.

He smirks, but dips his head so she can reach easily. “Anybody ever tell you, you _could_ dial back on the hair-gel?” she can’t resist pointing out. She loves his hair, and she’s damned curious to see what it would look like, and _feel_ like, without all the product….whatever it is. The Asgardian equivalent of pomade, Jane guesses. Randomly, she wonders if this is just another aspect of his control-freakishness, that he has to maintain iron control over his own _hair_ , too. Scary thought.

He looks a little ridiculous with his hair all sudsed up, and Jane has to struggle to suppress a giggle. “Do you mock me, woman?” he growls, but playfully. “And I’ll have you know, wench, that it is key in battle to make sure that one’s hair does not impede one’s view. Hence the ‘gel’, as you name it.”

Trying to picture Loki with a buzz-cut makes Jane have to stifle another giggle, as Loki moves past her to rinse off. Um, yeah, that would _not_ go well with his Asgardian finery, in her humble opinion. 

She turns to watch, and he’s standing naked, facing her, his skin bejeweled with tiny droplets of water. Jane reaches eagerly for the soap, wanting to feel his skin under her fingertips.

He closes his eyes and braces a hand against the wall, obviously enjoying her efforts. She starts with his neck and then his slender, toned arms, moving afterwards to massage the firm muscles of his chest and down his belly. Copying him, she skips over _his_ most sensitive region and kneels down to soap his legs instead, then she stands up again and orders him to turn.

He opens his eyes and raises a sardonic eyebrow, but obeys. Then he chuckles as she uses her washing as an excuse to give his crazily-firm buttocks a good squeeze. “Do you like what you see, my love?” he smirks back at her.

“It’s not bad,” she says, pretending indifference as she gives his ass another squeeze. 

“Have a care, Jane Foster,” he rumbles. “I had no plans to take you over my knee this night, but should you persist…” He trails off suggestively.

She’s not really in the mood for _that_ , so instead she reaches around his hip and wraps her fingers around his length, but just for one quick stroke before she takes her hand away. “I think you forgot to cleanse me thoroughly there, minx,” he informs her, after a gasp and a cheated glare.

“Did I? Turn around and I’ll fix that right now,” she coaxes him, and though he turns right away, she makes him wait, deliberately working up a big lather between her palms, before applying it to him.

He braces a hand on the wall again, but this time his eyes are open, his gaze locked on her ministrations. She starts with his balls, gently caressing with slippery fingers. When she can tell he’s on the verge of snarling with impatience, she finally palms his shaft, rubbing the soap over the thick veins, working her way slowly up to the hot, pulsing head.

She pumps him slowly, his hips arching into her touch, and finally Loki rasps something Norse – or so Jane presumes – under his breath and turns sharply away from her, rinsing himself off. Then he tugs Jane forward and rinses her hands free of soap too.

The water abruptly turns _itself_ off, and Jane is scooped up, soaking wet. Loki carries her straight out of the bathroom and back to the bedroom, laying her down on the bedspread.

“Loki, what the-“ she starts, but he climbs up on the bed, looming over her on all fours. He leans down to kiss her aggressively, beads of water running down his face and onto hers, and falling from the ends of his jet hair to splash onto her skin.

“I hunger, and I will wait no longer,” he whispers against her mouth after breaking the kiss. He strokes her throat, and she quivers. It’s a little chilly in the room but Jane doesn’t care, the heat of his mouth branding itself against her throat. He licks drops of water from her skin, moving lower and lower, eventually visiting each nipple, licking, suckling, tugging with gentle teeth. The water dripping from his body is cooling, the little splashes almost shocking on her skin, and Jane moans and arches her back, tangling her fingers into his hair.

He moves ever downward, continuing to lap the beads of water away, even as his hair trails over her skin, leaving new wet paths in his wake. He reaches up to free his hair from her fingers, once his lips reach the top of her mound. 

Loki looks up and gives her the most indecent grin she’s ever seen on a man’s face, before hooking a strong hand under each one of her knees, lifting her legs up and wide apart. His lips graze tenderly across her folds, and Jane squirms and gasps, heat gathering in her core, her belly, her chest.

His tongue pushes softly into the shallow trough between her thighs, parting her, continuing to lick away errant water droplets. He keeps looking up to watch her reactions as he teases, and Jane digs her nails into the damp bedspread, biting her lip. 

He’s gentle but impatient, releasing his grip on her legs and pushing two fingers deep inside her, prodding against the spots he knows will get her toes to curl. Jane feels herself clench tight around him, her consciousness shrinking until there’s only her, and Loki, and what he’s doing to her.

His other hand holds her folds wide open, giving him access to _everything_ , allowing him to sweetly torture every nerve ending, spasms ripping through her when he turns his full attention to the throbbing little nub above his penetrating fingers.

Every single one of Jane’s muscles seizes as he eases an orgasm from her. 

But he doesn’t stop, and although he’s not being rough, she’s very sensitive and it’s exquisite, pleasure-verging-on-pain. Her cries become louder, turning to gasping pleas, and finally to a choked-off scream, as she gives in to pleasure, to _him_ , once more.

Water is still dripping from his hair, his body, as he climbs back over her. Though Jane feels like she’s moving through molasses, she forces her reluctant body to move, to push on his chest until he’s lying on his back, and she’s straddling him. 

Out of the back of her mind, a fragment of memory surfaces. Jane runs her fingertips along his belly. No scar, not a trace of what Thanos did to him. He may be immortal, but Jane still can barely believe it, how even he could possibly heal so thoroughly from something so brutal.

Assuming he’d told the truth.

Smiling lazily up at her, Loki makes a small motion of his hand, a foil packet appearing from thin air between his fingers. “Do with me as you will, Lady,” he encourages, eyes glinting up at her, amused and playful.

Jane blinks at the condom. “Where the hell did that come from, anyway?” 

“Pocket dimension,” Loki says, as if she should know what that means.

“So, let me get this straight, you’re keeping a pack of Trojans in a kind of interdimensional closet.” Jane raises her eyebrow at him.

Loki laughs and shifts slightly underneath her, his erection rubbing against her thigh. “If you wish to call it so.” His eyes are darkly green, his skin still glistening damply.

Jane plucks the condom from his hand and sets it aside, then runs her hands all over him again, exactly as she did in the shower. She smoothes the last few drops of water along his skin, and he quivers underneath her like a bowstring when she drags her fingers down the dark line of hair running towards his groin.

She slithers lower and takes him into her mouth in just about one motion and he gasps, hips bucking up slightly to meet her. A few water droplets remain on his balls, and she strokes them gently away, then wraps her hand around the part of his shaft that she just can’t fit into her mouth, sucking lightly on him.

He’s the one fisting the bedspread now, Jane notes. She’s the one in control. Though Loki would probably argue the point, if she dared to say it out loud. The thought makes her smile around him.

“Perhaps,” he growls through clenched teeth, short minutes later, “you should consider making use of our condom. Now.” 

Smirking at him, Jane does as he says, then climbs back atop him and lowers herself slowly, impaling herself gradually on him. He watches her, his breathing getting faster, his skin glistening but with sweat now. 

When she has all of him inside her, she continues to move slowly, languorously, teasing him. _Daring_ him.

Wise to her game, he tries to hold out as long as he can, but soon enough Jane finds herself back on the bottom. “Vixen,” he hisses in her ear, pinning her wrists to the mattress, as his thrusts become faster, rougher. Jane would laugh, but he’s stealing her words and her breath with hungry kisses.

She’s too tired and sated to come again, but she doesn’t mind at all. It’s fascinating to watch him lose control, without any distractions. His eyes squeeze shut and a low groan tears itself from his throat as he thrusts one last time, the harshest thrust of all, before releasing himself into her.

He collapses forward onto her, releasing her wrists. He’s heavy and her lungs have to fight to fill themselves, but Jane doesn’t really want him to move. He’s so _warm_ , all hard muscle covered with smooth soft skin, his still-damp hair brushing against her cheeks. 

But he does move away at last, and Jane snuggles up against him, feeling the chill of the room and of the damp duvet beneath them trying to leach away her warmth.

When she shivers, Loki draws her closer. He mutters something she doesn’t understand, but she feels gentle heat envelope them, warming her skin and drying their hair and the bedclothes. When everything is dry, he banishes the spell, then pulls her flush against his chest, though his eyes are closed again when she looks up at his face.

Jane closes her eyes, letting herself drift, though his voice startles her back to full wakefulness. “I shall tell you something, Jane Foster, that not only did I not tell Director Fury, but which even Thor and Odin do not know.”

He pauses, but Jane bites her tongue and makes herself wait. “It is true, that I _seemed_ to enjoy the killing, the chaos that I caused. But I did not. _Would_ not, had it not been for Thanos.”

Jane shakes her head. “I don’t get it.”

Loki’s eyes open, his expression bleak as he looks down at her. “The weapon he gave me, the scepter, through it he could influence the minds of others. This I did tell Fury, you will recall.”

Jane nods. She remembers the scepter also from the pictures Fury showed her from the thick file folder yesterday. All gold and bladed edges, with that glowing blue….gem?

“Fury’s Avengers experienced this ‘effect’, themselves, at one point, as I told him this morn. They had the scepter in their vicinity, and nearly came to blows due to its influence. But I, I had to carry it about my person.” He takes a deep breath, and exhales shakily, or so it seems to Jane.

“I could remember my plan, and keep the knowledge of it shielded from Thanos, the scepter was not able to influence me to _that_ extent. But through the scepter, Thanos could appeal to my baser, darker nature. Guide my thoughts and feelings towards being cruel and sadistic, just like him. And I, despite my best efforts, after all that I had experienced, I could not resist-“ He breaks off, his breathing now definitely shaky. Abruptly he lets go of Jane and rolls over, so his back is to her.

Jane wraps herself around him immediately, pressing her cheek to his spine. “You did the best you could. And I’d say you won. We’re all still here.” _Minus one thousand humans or so,_ the negative little voice mocks. Jane swears at it until it shuts the fuck up.

Loki says nothing, his muscles stiff as if he’s trying to defend himself against her touch.

“Why didn’t you tell Odin and Thor –and Fury?” she asks, softly. “If even the Avengers experienced this, too-“

“I still doubt they would believe me. They would not have realized Thanos' hand in their moods, they are not attuned to the sensation of magic, as is one such as myself. Thor? No. He is ever a warrior, not a mage. Perhaps Odin, but….” Loki shrugs, his muscles moving under Jane’s cheek. “He is not inclined to believe _anything_ I say.”

He sounds ashamed to Jane. Why? Because he’s not as powerful as he wants everyone to believe? Because the ‘master strategist’ couldn’t keep himself from being controlled, even as he tried so hard to control everything else, turn it in his favour? But she doesn’t feel ready to ask him. He’s too raw. She’s no psychologist, or a ‘people person’, but even she can sense that.

“There was nothing else I could have done, however,” Loki continues after a silence. “Had I let the scepter go too far away from me – or worse, tried to destroy it – Thanos would have been alerted as to my duplicity. Had I even been able to resist his attempts to influence me, perhaps that alone would have triggered his suspicions.” Loki shakes his head. “The risk was too great.”

“I understand,” Jane says, and she thinks she does, as much as she can. “Thank you for sharing this with me.”

There’s another silence, and then Loki moves a little away from her, detangling her arms from around him, but it’s so he can assume his prior position, cradling her to his chest again. Though his eyes shift away from hers when she tries to meet them.

“I forgot to say earlier, you did well,“ he says to her. 

_ Huh? _ Jane blinks up at him. “At what?” she asks.

“When Fury was questioning you,” Loki clarifies.

Jane shrugs. “I just told the truth.”

“I know,” he says, and Jane can’t help finding the whole thing ironic. A God of Lies, appreciating _truth_? 

She wonders if there is any way she can get him to tell her about the _other_ thing. The so-called ‘family affair’.

“And the other thing you didn’t want to tell Fury about?” she prods gently.

But Loki’s mouth hardens, his body tensing all over again, and she can almost feel him debating whether or not to roll away from her again.

“I cannot. But you may trust me on this – it is _not_ relevant.”

_ No, you _ will _not_ , Jane thinks, but she won’t push him further. He’s just started to open up to her, slowly. If she acts like it’s still not enough, he may just shut down completely. That’s not what she wants.

But as a scientist, her curiosity is not so easily evaded. “Can you at least, then, explain to me why you attacked Puente Antiguo that first time? Was it just because you were angry at Thor? You don’t need to tell me _why_ exactly you were angry with him,” she amends hastily, when Loki’s muscles stiffen even more against her. Yes, this is really a sore point with him.

He relaxes, slightly, but says nothing. 

Just when Jane thinks this is totally useless, and she should just try to get some sleep, he finally says, haltingly. “All I can say is this: Yes, I was angry at Thor. And _others_. And my rage and pain were so great, no other’s pain or death mattered. And yes, I realize that is an entirely weak justification.”

Jane shakes her head. “I’m not judging you.”

But Loki laughs bitterly. “Thor and Odin, who have known me my entire life, judge me to be without worth, and mistrust all that I say.” He catches her chin, raising her eyes to meet his blazing ones. “You, who have only known me less than two mortal months, why should _you_ trust me, value me?”

Because it seems like the right thing to do, Jane squirms upwards and then busses him soundly on the mouth, much to Loki’s astonishment. “I just want to _understand_ ,” she says simply. “And how could I possibly judge? I don’t know anything about fighting battles, or saving planets – or universes! Hell, I barely know anything about _our_ universe, and I’ve been studying outer space my whole life!”

It’s his turn to blink at her, but a smile tugs at the side of his mouth as Jane yawns abruptly. Christ, she’s exhausted. She needs rest, needs time to consolidate all this.

Without warning Loki scoops her up (she yelps and clutches at him) and pulls the bedspread and sheets back, then he returns them both to the bed again.

“Sleep,” he urges her, settling her against him. 

But it seems much like Jane, Loki’s mind has trouble letting go of some questions, as only a few moments pass, before he asks: “Despite what he said, do you think Fury actually believed me?”

Jane tries to organize her fatigued brain into a coherent answer. “I don’t know,” she says. She hopes he won’t ask her if _she_ believes him, because she doesn’t know what to say.

She wants to, she really does. But he’s such a good actor, when he wants to be. Again, there’s that irony – she trusts him enough to give him power over her, at least in the kinky sex department, but the rest…

_ Maybe with time, _ she tells herself. Time, and a chance to see how he is with SHIELD, and Thor, and her, going forward. 

Actions speak louder than words, especially words that come from the God of Lies, right?  
 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jane’s life does its best to return to normal. Or as normal as it can be, given the involvement of the Norse God of Mischief.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta: canyr12 ROCKS SO HARD.  
> Disclaimer: Don’t sue me, Marvel. I’m just doing what you won’t.  
> Author’s Note: Movie!verse, because Tom Hiddleston is hot.
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> Banner courtesy of the lovely **cincoflex**!

Jane awakens to a low grumbling sound. A second later, she realizes it’s her stomach. _When did I last eat something? In the cell at SHIELD? Yeah._ While it wouldn’t be the first time she’s skipped one (or two!) meals – usually while she’s working at the lab, convinced she’s on the verge of a scientific breakthrough – obviously this is not ideal. No wonder she’s felt so tired, ever since waking up with Loki in the SHIELD prison.

As if in agreement, her stomach growls loudly again, this time accompanied by a sharp hunger pang, and Jane gropes for her watch. 2:17pm, Jesus Christ, no wonder she’s starving.

That’s when she realizes the bed is empty. Did Loki leave her again-?

She sits up and scans the small room, panic already trying to take hold of her. But no, he’s sitting at the small table in the opposite corner of the room, flipping through what seems to be a magazine. The scientist part of her brain wonders if Loki can even read English.

He glances up at her worried face, then smiles reassuringly. It’s his sweet smile, and ruefully Jane decides that she really needs to stop expecting him to just take off after they have sex. He hasn’t done that in a while, right?

He’s wearing his usual Asgardian leather armour, but Jane can see he’s left out at least some of the hair-gel, even if the rest of him seems unchanged. She rather likes it – his hair is a little softer, a little wavier, a little fuller around his angular face. It suits him a lot better, though she finds herself too shy to compliment him on it.  

Loki puts the magazine down. “I did not think, after all that had happened, that you would wish me to leave.”

“No,” Jane shakes her head. “I’m glad you’re here. Do gods even need to sleep?” she asks, curiously. Not that she’s all that sure she really thinks of him as a _god_ (as a scientist, it’s a hard thing to accept), but _he_ obviously believes it, so she’ll go with it for now. 

“Not as much as mortals,” Loki allows. 

Jane’s stomach growls audibly again, and Loki smirks at her blush. “Um, do gods need to eat?” she asks, pushing the covers aside.

“Not really, but that has never stopped us,” Loki answers, winking at her. “I take it that we need to silence the lion in your belly before we tackle anything else this day?”

“Yeah, before I faint of starvation.” Jane rolls out of bed, wondering where she left her clothes. After a quick search (she’s aware of Loki’s eyes on her naked backside the whole time, though mercifully he keeps any lustful observations to himself for once) she discovers they are still on the bathroom floor. She winces at having to put on dirty clothes, but a loud gurgle from her stomach silences that. Food first, fresh clothes after, and then….well, let’s focus on that for now.

She dresses quickly and returns to the bedroom, surprised to see that Loki is now clad in his dark suit and coat, instead of the Asgardian armour. “Where do you wish to procure a meal?” he asks.

Without really thinking, Jane automatically says the first thing that comes to mind: “Isabelle’s diner?”

Loki whisks them away so fast, Jane doesn’t have time to second-guess herself. A flash of white light, and they’re standing in front of the diner, afternoon sunshine bouncing off the windows and reflecting into Jane’s eyes. The street is relatively crowded, and Jane looks around nervously, but if anyone has noticed their sudden appearance from thin air, they’re hiding their shock well. 

Loki moves towards the diner’s door, but then turns back and frowns as he realizes Jane is not following. “What troubles you, little one?”

_ Where to start? _ “Uh, Darcy and Erik could be in there. This is their favourite hangout, too.” If they _are_ there, knowing her luck lately, she and Loki probably have already been spotted-

“They are not,” Loki says calmly, not indicating how he knows. “And even if they were, I am a master of illusion, as you no doubt recall.”

Yeah, like Jane would be comfortable, hiding from Erik and Darcy behind an illusion. That would be yet another betrayal, wouldn’t it? Not that she says as much to Loki.

But despite Loki’s assurances, Jane still hesitates. Izzy won’t likely recognize Loki, but he (or rather, his Destroyer) _is_ responsible for closing this place for a long time. Izzy’s only been open and in business again for the last two months or so. And now Loki is just going to casually walk in like any other patron? It just seems so, so…. _wrong_ somehow.

But Jane’s stomach doesn’t care about justice and ethics and morals, and as the door swings open in front of Loki as two other customers leave, the scents of pancakes and hamburgers wash over her, and Jane shakes her head and follows after Loki. One day, she’ll have to have him make amends to Izzy, somehow. Right now though, she has more immediate and personal concerns. And at least her money can’t hurt, right?

Jane greets Izzy with a hug, and once again she lets Loki handle his own introduction (“Loki Lokisson” seems to be his current default), and a few moments later they are seated in a booth, looking at menus. 

Jane gets nervous all over again. Thor had loved pancakes, eggs, and coffee, but he’d been mortal at the time, right? And let’s face it, Loki seems a lot more upscale in his tastes than Thor is. Even Loki’s clothes are really too highbrow for this diner, though Jane finds it utterly impossible to picture him in worn jeans and a tee-shirt.

_ Not my problem_, Jane finally decides. She orders a coffee and the hamburger plate, and Loki faintly surprises her by ordering the exact same thing. 

Turns out, Thor and Loki _do_ have at least one thing in common (besides falling for her) – they both take their coffee loaded with cream and sugar. Loki also enjoys the hamburger and fries, judging by how quickly they vanish. And he doesn’t smash his mug on the floor before ordering a second. That’s something, Jane supposes.

But the whole thing is also much more awkward than Jane expects. It’s a little depressing to her to realize this is their first actual meal together. Up til now, their only activities together have been either kinky sex or sleeping (and, of course, running afoul of shadowy government agencies).

Jane sticks some fries into her mouth, wondering what the hell to talk about with Loki. She doesn’t really want to ask him about what he told Fury, not with so many people around who could eavesdrop. But what else are they supposed to talk about? His favourite movie (yeah, like they have those in Asgard)? His favourite colour? 

_ His favourite way to kill people? _ The sarcastic little voice pipes up. _I think that might fall under ‘hobbies’._

_ Shut up, _ Jane growls at it. She scrabbles in her brain for something safe to ask him about. “So,” she tries, leaning towards him and trying to keep her voice low, just in case people _are_ listening. “Thanks for helping with my headache yesterday, but I’m kind of confused – didn’t you say you couldn’t heal other people?”

He half-smiles, taking a sip of coffee. “Alas, I spoke the truth before – I lack the ability to cure other’s ills. I am afraid all I did was cloak your pain from your awareness.”

Jane sits back, considering, though she still keeps her voice low. “It was only an illusion?”

He inclines his head towards her, as if to say: ‘Aren’t I awesome?’

Well, she supposes that if he can create a whole forest from nothing, masking the pain of a headache wouldn’t be too difficult.

Another silence falls, and Jane fidgets. Loki sips his coffee, raising an eyebrow at her antics. “Yes, my dear?” he questions.

Jane bites her lip, finally deciding her best tactic is to be supportive. “I just wanted to say, if you ever wanted to talk about what happened to you – you know, all the bad stuff, and how it made you feel – I’m here to help.” _Christ, awkward._

But Loki nods. “I know,” he replies. He sips more coffee. And then says more nothing.

Jane resists the urge to roll her eyes at him. So much for opening the lines of communication. 

The nagging little voice returns to take another dig at her _. Maybe you’ve got nothing to talk about because, I don’t know, you have_ nothing in common? _Besides the need to have kinky sex, anyway?_

Jane doesn’t bother to dignify that with a response.

Finally, she asks herself why is it up to _her_ to make conversation? He could try, couldn’t he? Let Mr. _God_ make an effort, too.

So Jane returns to her food, trying not to make her irritation with him too obvious. Loki polishes off the rest of his coffee in what seems like two gulps, then sits back in the booth and smirks at Jane. Uh-oh, Jane knows that _look_.

He leans forward then, his tone low and conspiratorial. “So tell me, my dear Jane, are there any particular fantasies of yours that you wish me to fulfill?”

Jane, in the midst of eating her cole slaw, blushes bright red and fumbles with her fork, _just_ managing not to make it clatter on her plate. “Um, what?”

His smirk turns positively evil. “Do you need me to be more specific? Very well. Are there certain acts or scenarios you have always wanted a lover to do, to you or with you, that you wish to attempt with me?” Jane’s pretty sure she can feel his fingertips very lightly caressing her inner thigh under the table.

_ You see? _ The little voice points out triumphantly. _Kinky sex_ _._ Jane curses at the voice until it shuts the fuck up, and brushes Loki’s fingers off her leg. “One-track mind, much?” she accuses him darkly.

Loki puts on his best ‘innocent face’, though Jane doesn’t buy it for a second. “I want to please you,” he says simply. “And I can best do that, by discovering what…games…you would most enjoy to play. I remind you again that I am, after all, a master of illusion and magic. There are few fantasies, no matter how improbable, that I would not be able to make reality. So to speak.”

Despite her embarrassment, Jane finds herself intrigued. It’s true, he could probably indulge pretty much any erotic scenario she could dream up. But this is not the place. Or even really the time. She has much more important things to attend to.

“Let me think about it,” she mutters, pretending not to notice that Loki is smirking again. She takes one last bite of her burger, and decides she’s had enough.

She pays for their meals – Loki looks on curiously, and Jane reflects that Loki’s probably never had to actually _pay_ for anything in his life, lucky bastard. She chats briefly with Izzy about her new place, and discovers that Izzy may know someone willing to buy the trailer once Jane is ready to sell it. Finally, a stroke of luck! 

Jane hugs Izzy goodbye fondly, and then leads  Loki out. She pauses on the sidewalk outside, pondering her next move.

_ The trailer. Time to face the music, and pack everything up? _

Yeah, nice idea, but once everything’s packed up, what then? The new apartment has no damned _furniture_.

“Jane?” Loki prompts, obviously wondering what she’s ruminating about.

“D’you mind if we go to the trailer? I need to figure some things out.”

Loki shrugs. “I had no set plans to conquer Midgard today,” he deadpans. Then he grins playfully as Jane gapes at him. 

Finally she shakes her head and giggles. Loki and his unique sense of humour, she supposes. _God of Mischief, right?_

It’s a familiar walk to the trailer, and Jane greets a few people she knows (fortunately, none of them ask her about her tall, dark male shadow – maybe they can’t _see_ him?), but she has to admit that she’s relieved to get to the trailer without running into Erik or Darcy.

The lab behind them is still dark and empty, and something about that makes Jane tense. She can understand there being no sign of Erik, under the circumstances, but Darcy being AWOL for so long? She wonders if SHIELD took Darcy in for questioning too.

Something else to weigh on Jane’s conscience.

_ Even if that’s what’s happened, I can’t do anything about it. _ And it’s not like she’s ready to ask Loki to look into it or do anything about it; that seems like a good way to piss off SHIELD, or scare the heck out of Darcy. Or both.

Besides, Darcy knows nothing, and in any case Jane is pretty sure Erik will stand up for Darcy if needed. Not to mention Thor would probably be pretty angry if Fury got it into his head to torture Darcy for information.

Loki teleports them back inside the trailer again, since Jane still can’t do anything about SHIELD’s damned padlock. Loki has managed to somehow switch back into his armour mid-teleport, she notices. Whatever. Jane does her best to ignore the mess, pushing things out of her way and digging herself a path to her kitchen table. 

She rummages around until she finds a pencil and notepad, then plunks herself down. Loki is studying the chaos around them, scowling, but Jane pretends not to notice. She’d rather not fuel any animosity between him and SHIELD right now. She has enough problems to deal with.

_ Furniture, furniture, _ she thinks, forcing herself back to practicalities. _OK, just the basics._ Enough so she can get out of this damned trailer, that’s the priority.

She starts scrawling things on her notepad, Loki ambling over just as she finishes, and reading over her shoulder:

  * bed (and linens)
  * kitchen table and (4?) chairs
  * desk (and chair? Or use a kitchen one for now?)
  * couch



Loki reads it out loud, which Jane supposes answers her question as to whether he can understand written English.

“Can’t move into my new apartment without a place to sleep, or to eat, or even just to sit down,” she explains. 

“Very well,” Loki agrees. “Where can we commission the artisans to make such items?”

Jane stifles a giggle. IKEA is hardly…artisanal. Granted, she could probably get some good stuff at the local ‘OK Furniture’ store in town, but…who knows when the SHIELD money is going to dry up? She’s gotten into the habit of pinching every penny so she’ll have as much money free as possible to pay for new parts for lab equipment, and to make sure Darcy doesn’t starve. If it ain’t broke- 

“We have stores which mass-produce furniture now,” she informs him. “By machine? Nothing around here, though. We’ll have to take my car to the store.”

“Your what?”

Jane smiles. Cultural differences, indeed. “Easier to show you, I guess.”

It takes them over twenty minutes to find the keys to the Pinzgauer in all the disorder, but since she manages to find the keys to the new apartment at the same time, at least it qualifies as multi-tasking.

Then she digs up some fresh clothes and changes, pretending to ignore Loki’s sudden intense interest. 

It’s hard not to laugh at Loki when they try to get into the Pinz. Understandably, at first he tries to imitate her, attempting to slide into the car after her. On the _driver’s_ side. 

Once that is worked out, he blinks in confusion as she tries to buckle him in. He’s so obviously used to being in control, in command, but now he seems a bit lost, unsettled. He’s so out of his element. So Jane hides her amusement, especially at how interested he seems in everything – the mirrors, the dials, the roar of the engine.

He bores quickly once they get going, however. Jane can’t really blame him – the desert is a pretty uniform landscape to drive through.

“I should have magicked us to your ‘store’,” he grumbles at one point, a mere fifteen minutes into their drive.

Jane bites her lip. She wants to say that she doesn’t want to be dependent on him or his magic, or to take his magic for granted, but she can just imagine what his response will be. Probably something along the lines of a mocking look and some variation of “I am a God.”

So instead, she says: “I thought it would be nice to just….talk.”

Loki glances over at her but says nothing.

That’s when Jane realizes it’s still over an-hour-and-fifteen-minute drive to the next outpost of civilization. And she had a hard enough time engaging him in conversation in the diner. Uh-oh…teleporting would have been faster. _Much_.

They need something to talk about. A _neutral_ topic. Something that won’t make him uncomfortable. And something that won’t make _her_ uncomfortable (her sexual fantasies? Um, some other time, thanks). 

“Can I make a deal with you?” she asks at last.

She doesn’t need to look over, to know he’s doing an eyebrow raise. “What manner of ‘deal’?”

“I want to get to know you better,” she explains. “So, I propose a trade. You tell me one thing about your childhood, and then I’ll tell you one thing about mine. Then repeat til we get there.”

Loki says nothing for a long moment, but finally, before Jane can really start second-guess herself, he agrees. Jane narrowly restrains the impulse to pump her fist in victory.

*~*~*

Jane pulls the Pinzgauer into the IKEA parking lot, allowing herself to feel a small measure of smugness. Though they hadn’t avoided _all_ possible awkward silences, she finally felt like she was getting somewhere. 

Even though most of what Loki had told her had been about Asgard, and not really anything deeply personal about himself.

He’d told her about the palace, and the Bifröst (Jane had been very tempted to really grill him about that, but had decided now was not the time), and the Asbru bridge. About the nebulas and star systems visible from the Realm Eternal.

He’d told her about long hours spent in the palace library, studying magic. About a few tricks he’d pulled once he’d gained certain magical skills.

Probably the most animated he’d been, was when he’d described a few pranks he’d played on Thor and the Warriors Three (and Sif).

Beyond that, though, he hadn’t really talked at all about his personal relationships. What his interactions had been like with Odin, and Frigga, and Thor. 

Unlike Jane, who had opened up to Loki about her father’s death, about being estranged from her mother, and about the ridicule she’d faced while trying to prove her Foster Theory.

But it doesn’t matter. He’s _talking_ , and that’s progress.

Jane parks the car and leads Loki into the huge store.

Unsurprisingly, Loki is not impressed by IKEA. They get lost almost immediately in the enormous and poorly-designed showroom. “Surely the one who built this must be one of my worshippers, to have produced such an infernal labyrinth,” Loki mutters, after having used his magic to reorient them for at least the fourth time. Jane stifles a giggle. “Tell me about it. Luckily furniture shopping isn’t something I do that often.”

But Loki’s not done complaining. “Shoddy workmanship,” he announces later with loud disdain, wrinkling his nose and flicking contemptuously at the edge of one of the desks. “Is this what the Norse have been reduced to?”

Jane glances around, but nobody seems to have heard Loki. Again, she has to wonder if anyone even sees him – certainly nobody seems to have noticed him walking around in his usual Asgardian regalia. Except Jane. Is he doing that just to mess with her mind?

“I’m not furnishing the White House,” Jane retorts, deliberately ignoring his confused look. “I’m a scientist living on a fixed income, which has to pay for my living expenses and my research. _And_ my research assistant. So if it’s a choice between lab equipment and ornate, luxury furniture, the lab wins every time.” Although the SHIELD money _has_ made things easier, research is an expensive business.

“I have money. Of a sort,” Loki points out, but Jane shakes her head. 

“It’s not your responsibility. And I can afford this. I don’t even really want anything fancy, that’s not my style. Function over fashion, OK?” She’s never been one to let a boyfriend (assuming Loki even qualifies) buy things for her, and she’s not starting now.

She walks off before Loki can argue further, but he only trails thoughtfully after her. It takes over another hour (or _feels_ like it!), but soon Jane has written down the codes of everything she needs. Loki even offers to carry the bed linens without even grousing about it, which is something of a minor miracle as far as Jane is concerned.

Their almost-final destination is the flat-packed furniture area, and Jane stops about ten steps in, wondering whether Loki would consider it beneath his dignity to push a dolly full of boxed furniture.

Loki stops next to her and looks around the shelves in confusion. “These are the same items we saw earlier? I thought you Midgardians lacked the magic to shrink objects down in this fashion.”

Jane looks around nervously, but as usual somehow nobody seems to be in earshot. “No, it’s not done by magic; all the stuff is in pieces. Easier to transport, and for the store to, well, _store_. We grab the boxes we need, load them up in my car, and when we get back to my new place, we put it all together,” she explains, trying not to wince at the thought of all the hours of work she (they? Will he help?) has ahead of her. Maybe she should order it all online and have it delivered? No, this way she’ll have everything right away. She’s had enough of hotel living and trashed trailers.

Predictably, Loki looks affronted. “Put it all together? What nonsense is _that_?”

Although Jane agrees entirely, there’s not much else she can think of to do. “Believe me, _most_ furniture stores do that now. The only items that are assembled are the demos – the ones we saw in the store itself. Look, if you don’t want to help me put everything together, I understand, it’s fine.“ Although it probably _isn’t_ fine – who exactly will help her then? Erik? Not likely. Darcy? Maybe, if Jane can find her.

If Darcy doesn’t already hate her, too.

_ Maybe Loki has some kind of magic spell that can help somehow? _

She hopes that’s what he’s about to suggest, but instead he frowns darkly and shakes his head. He takes her firmly by the elbow, and starts to lead her towards the cash register. Actually, it’s just on the border of _dragging_ her.

“Loki!” Jane hisses, trying to backpedal, but given his reputation, she’s reluctant to create a scene. She can just _imagine_ the resulting report on Fury’s desk. 

“Be at ease, my Jane. You may purchase your bedclothes, but I may have a more… _efficient_ way of dealing with your furnishings. Leave it to me.”

Jane rolls her eyes at his imperious tone, still trying to tug her arm free. “Loki-“

“It will be dealt with, I told you. Therefore this discussion is ended.”

Jane rolls her eyes again, but they’re already at a cash register (where’d the line go?), so she buys the linens without further argument. The truth is, it’s getting late and shopping always wears her out, and she has to admit that she’s more than a little curious to see what Loki will do. _Probably something illegal and unethical,_ the little voice pipes up, but Jane decides to ignore it.

They settle into the Pinz, her stomach choosing that moment to growl loudly. 

“Speaking of efficiency,” Loki remarks, making a familiar gesture-

Jane’s vision whites out. When it clears, they are parked next to her trailer. “Loki, uh, why did you-?”

He shrugs. “You are famished once more, are you not? Why waste time then?” Already getting used to the seatbelt mechanism and door, he unfastens himself and slips out of the car before Jane can answer.

Oh well, at least she saved on gas, Jane supposes.

Sadly, Puente Antiguo isn’t exactly chock full of restaurants, and Jane figures visiting Isabelle’s again is tempting fate. In the end, Loki takes them both back to their hotel, and they eat in the on-site restaurant. It’s decent for hotel food, but Jane can feel her natural frugality trying to kick in. Like she told Loki already, she prefers to spend her money on her _work_ wherever possible. 

Even if the thought of sharing food she’s made with a Norse _God_ is more than a little daunting! She doubts her offerings will measure up at all well against Asgardian _feasts_ ….

She more than half expects Loki to pounce on her the moment they get back to their hotel room, but he seems preoccupied with something. That’s fine, she’s got a big day of organizing, packing, and probably furniture-assembling to do tomorrow (she expects her _first_ task will probably be ordering all that stuff from IKEA, Loki’s cryptic promises aside). The last thing she needs now is a three-hour sex-a-thon, tempting as it may be.

She falls asleep so fast, she’ll wonder later whether he used some kind of spell on her.

*~*~*

Jane wakes to find Loki sitting in pretty much the same spot as yesterday morning, except this time he’s grinning evilly at her. 

She hasn’t been stripped naked and bound to the bed in her sleep or anything, so Jane has to assume his glee has something to do with her furniture.

“You’ve been up to some mischief, I’m guessing,” she remarks dryly, sitting up. 

“I have indeed. Come with me and see.” Still grinning, he holds a hand out to her. Jane takes it without thinking, remembering too late that she’s dressed only in socks, a tee shirt, and panties.

In a flash (literally), they are standing in the middle of her new apartment. Jane blinks in confusion, as the living room space around them is now packed with furniture. All already assembled, and everything that was on her list.

When she takes a closer look, she realizes some of the items are slightly different in style and colour than what she picked out earlier, but the differences are so minor that she’s not about to complain.

“You put all this stuff together?” Jane asks. She has a hard time seeing that, though – that _would_ be beneath his dignity, at a guess.

“No. These are the – what did you name them? – _demos_. A few of them were unacceptably worn or damaged, so I took the liberty of finding alternate items at other locations.”

Then it sinks in. “You _stole_ them?” Jane turns to glare at him, hands on her hips. It just figures-

Loki huffs and crosses his arms, looking deeply insulted. “I most certainly did _not_. The compensation I left in exchange will more than cover such abysmal craftsmanship.” He waves a hand and then extends it to her, dropping something into her palm.

It appears to be a gold coin, the uneven edges covered in tiny knotwork. There are symbols she can’t decipher on it, though the largest symbol is of three overlapping triangles, which she vaguely remembers from one of her library books to be Odin’s symbol.

“Let me get this straight – you took the demos, and left a pile of gold coins in their place,” She says slowly, unbelieving.

He cocks his head at her, his eyebrows raising mockingly. “You would prefer that I _stole_ them after all?” He snarks, imitating her earlier offended tone.

Jane shakes her head – she hadn’t intended to insult him again - and walks over to him. “No, no. Thank you,” she twines her fingers in his hair (yes, much better without all the ‘product’) and pulls him down for a kiss, which seems to smooth things over between them.

After another teleport back to the hotel room to change into clean clothes, Jane asks Loki to take her back to the trailer. Behind them, the lab is _still_ dark and empty, thank God. As much as she is wondering where Darcy is, Jane realizes she’s not exactly _ready_ for Loki and Darcy to meet. 

The locked door will only get in their way, she decides, and she plans to have the trailer emptied of all personal effects today anyway, so she asks Loki if he can break the padlock. He can, and easily.

Jane’s first task is to locate all the boxes she had flattened and had (formerly, before the SHIELD ‘reorganizing’) squirreled away in various corners of the trailer. There’s some other boxes at the lab too, assuming they haven’t been taken as well by SHIELD, but Jane will leave that til the last possible moment. There’s only so much mess she thinks she can handle right now.

Jane can sense Loki standing in the narrow entryway watching her, the door behind him left open to allow the stuffy trailer to air out a bit. By way of trying to encourage him to _help_ her, Jane thinks aloud: “I think I’ll start by packing everything I probably won’t need right away in boxes. Everything that I’ll probably need sooner, _we_ can probably put into bags and open boxes…what’s the capacity of your ‘Interdimensional Closet’? The more things we can carry per trip, the faster it will go. Or could you teleport everything in one go, if we pile it all up together, or something-?”

She finally looks over at him, more than half-expecting some kind of snobby, haughty, a-Prince-of-Asgard-does-not-assist-mere-mortals-in-such-a-grubby-endeavour kind of look, but instead he actually looks…. _guilty_?

“Loki? What is it?” she asks, worried.

He looks around the trailer, not meeting her gaze. “This is due to a _profound_ lapse in my judgment,” he says quietly. “And I am truly sorry. I had not realized your fellow Midgardians would do this so quickly. I thought to spare you such an upheaval in your life again. So I most certainly will stay and help you rectify all this-“

“Me too,” pipes up a familiar female voice from behind Loki.

He swings around, mildly startled, then moves aside so Darcy can climb in.

Jane isn’t sure what to say to the other woman, but Darcy circumvents all that by hugging her. Jane gratefully clings to Darcy for a long moment, narrowly fighting back the tears. Loki’s support is important, but Jane is realizing that she needs more than that. She needs her _friends_.

“Perhaps I should take my leave, be out of your way,” Loki suggests, looking uncomfortable. “Once you have packed a significant amount, I can return and magick the items to your new abode.“

Jane looks questioningly at Darcy. Jane feels safe with Loki, of course, but there’s no reason to expect Darcy to feel the same. She had been at ground zero when the Destroyer attacked, too.

After a long tense moment, Darcy seems to come to a decision. She steps towards Loki, extending her hand. “Hi. I’m Darcy Lewis,” she says.

Loki stares at her hand in confusion for long seconds, but then Darcy apparently remembers that Asgardian manners differ quite a bit from human ones. Smirking, she dips a small curtsey instead, which earns a small smile from Loki.

“And I am Loki….of Asgard,” he says gravely, hesitating only slightly. He takes Darcy’s hand and kisses it with the same ceremony Thor once accorded Jane. It feels like that all happened decades ago.

From that point, the three of them spend the next two hours trying to organize and pack everything without bumping constantly into each other, which is next to impossible. But it manages to go much faster than Jane expects, and it’s a little depressing to realize just how little stuff she actually _owns_. Well, that’s not true – she’s got a lot of stuff, but most of it is in storage in a locker on the other side of Puente Antiguo.

At the end of the first hour, they have a small pile going, though it’s unwisely stacked right in the trailer entryway. Jane decides that now might give her a good opportunity to talk to Darcy alone. Not that Jane isn’t intensely grateful for Darcy’s help, and her apparent acceptance of Loki, but Jane has to wonder – _why_?

So she pulls Loki aside – or as far aside as she can, in such a tiny space. “D’you mind teleporting these boxes to the new place? And-“ she lets her voice drop to the quietest murmur she can manage, “-take your time about getting back? I’d like to talk to Darcy for a couple minutes.”

He nods and doesn’t ask why. Perhaps he’s as curious as Jane is? “When you are ready for me to return, merely call my name.”

He glances over Jane’s shoulder at Darcy, then leans down and brushes his lips gently over Jane’s. The trailer fills with light, and then Loki and the boxes are gone.

“Whoa, cool,” Darcy enthuses, rubbing the spots out of her eyes. “ _Neat_ trick. Any chance we can convince Tall, Dark and Asgardian to help _me_ move, when the time comes?”

Jane smiles distractedly, “I’m sure that can be arranged,” she says. She fidgets for a moment, then decides to jump right in. “Darcy, can I ask why you seem so….OK with this? I don’t know how much you know, but Erik is pretty understandably pissed with me right now. SHIELD isn’t too happy either-“

“I still haven’t forgiven SHIELD for stealing my iPod back in the day,” Darcy says, smirking a little. “But actually Jane, I _do_ know most of the story.”

“SHIELD told you everything?” Jane asks. That doesn’t sound like them.

“Not exactly. When I came in for work the other day I found them messing up this place, and they were also clearing out the lab, just like the first time,” Darcy pauses, as if remembering how traumatized Jane had been the first time. “Sorry,” Darcy adds.

Jane squeezes her eyes shut. She’d figured they’d taken everything – again – but somehow hearing it confirmed just leaves her stomach in knots.

“But anyway, Erik was there to make sure they didn’t break any of the lab equipment, though he couldn’t tell me much right then, given the SHIELD goons were giving him the evil eye every time he so much as turned towards me.” She sighs, and even with her own eyes shut Jane has no difficulty picturing Darcy rolling _her_ eyes.

“Then he called me last night and gave me the whole story. Guess he thought they hadn’t tapped his phone? Well, they haven’t come to arrest me yet or swipe my iPod again, so-”

Jane’s eyes snap open and she interrupts the other woman. “Did he tell you what Loki and Fury talked about?”

“Not blow-by-blow, but the main points, yeah. Coulson being alive still, and Loki claiming to have done all this to save the universe or something. Erik was practically foaming at the mouth over the whole fail-safe thing.”

“Then, I really don’t get why you’re here,” Jane said, hesitantly.

“Well,” Darcy shrugged, “for one thing, SHIELD brought all the lab equipment and data back last night. It’s all jumbled up, of course, but it’s all there. I don’t think they’d do that if they thought Mr. Mischief was a threat.”

Jane let out a breath she hadn’t even been conscious of holding.

“And Erik also let it slip that Thor was here a little while ago on Earth, but then he left. Without Loki. Actually, Erik was practically ranting and raving about it,” Darcy shakes her head. “He seemed pretty put out that Thor didn’t drag Loki’s ass straight back to Asgard. But anyway, I figure if Thor felt OK about leaving Loki here – especially considering Mr. Mischief is, um, dating his _ex_ – well, seems to me that if you’re crazy for being involved with Loki, then Thor’s drunk the same Kool-Aid.”

“But really,” Darcy continues, “the main thing is, and don’t take this the wrong way, Jane, but you’re a _crappy_ liar. If this Norse dude was hurting you, or had frightened you into doing whatever it is he wanted, you wouldn’t be able to hide that from _anyone_.”

Jane can’t help smiling. “I told Fury. But he and Erik think Loki is controlling my mind.”

Darcy scoffs. “ _Bullshit_. I don’t buy Thor ever letting that happen. He’d beat the daylight out of Loki first. Fuck no. Besides, I heard Loki apologize for all this with my own ears. Why would he bother, if you were his slave?”

“Maybe he did that for your benefit,” Jane says, unable to stop herself from playing devil’s advocate.

“Right, like I have that much influence with _anyone_.” Darcy cocks her head and studies Jane, going quiet for a moment. “But you want to know the real truth, Jane? For as long as I’ve known you, you’ve been fighting for your Einstein Bridge. Even when we couldn’t get funding, even when everybody else who calls themselves an academic laughed at you, you kept going. And you know what? Fuck them all, you were _right_.”

“And now it’s the same thing,” Jane guesses. 

“The way I see it, the score so far is Jane: 1, scientific community: zip. And you know what? I’m willing to put money on Jane: 1, Loki-haters: 0. So if you see something in this Norse god-or-alien-or-whatever worth sticking with, then I’m going to support you.” Then she grins. “At least until he starts being a dick to you. Then all bets are off. And I volunteer to spring for the first round of Ben and Jerry’s.”

Jane smiles, nearly going limp with relief. On impulse, she gets up and hugs Darcy again. “Sounds fair to me.”

“Good,” Darcy says with finality. She shoots a critical eye around the trailer. “I think we’re gonna need more boxes. Want me to go grab some from the lab?”

“If you wouldn’t mind. I’m not sure I can handle seeing the mess SHIELD left right now,” Jane apologizes.

“No problemo,” Darcy replies. “That’s why you pay me the big bucks, right?” she adds with her customary snark. “I do have one question, though,” she says, looking back over her shoulder at Jane as she heads toward the trailer door.

“Only one?” Jane asks indulgently. 

“Yeah. Does he _always_ wear his armour?”

Jane laughs loud and long. Oh God, she needed that. “Yeah, pretty much.”

Darcy chuckles. “I won’t ask if he wears it to bed.”

“Please don’t,” Jane agrees, still smiling.

Jane waits until Darcy is inside the lab, then calls for Loki.

He reappears instantly in front of her. “All is well?” he asks quietly, lifting a hand to cup her cheek in a surprisingly tender gesture. 

But it doesn’t surprise her enough to stop the now inevitable doubts – could he have spied on them? It would be all too easy for someone with his abilities.

_ I have to stop doing this to myself. Even if he was spying, so  _ what? “Yes, everything’s fine.” Jane nods and puts her arms around him, resting her head against his chest.

“I was unsure where to place your items, so I left them in the largest room of your new abode for now,” he says. That would probably be the living room.

“Thanks, I really appreciate it. I think we’ll be done here in a couple of hours, at most,” Jane says, breaking the hug as Darcy re-enters the trailer, flattened boxes tucked under each arm.

Jane’s prediction is only off by about an hour. Yeah, that’s how little stuff she actually has. 

The only really awkward moment is when Loki finds the vibrator Jane _had_ hidden under her mattress – why the fuck SHIELD had chosen to chuck the damned thing into a kitchen drawer was beyond Jane – and asks what it is.

Jane feels her face go utterly scarlet, and Darcy smirks knowingly. “That? That would be the single girl’s _best_ friend,” Darcy informs him slyly, winking at Jane. Not quite daring to meet either of their eyes, and still blushing, Jane takes the toy and tosses it into the box of linens from the trailer’s bed.

Thankfully, that’s the only drama. Neither Erik nor SHIELD turn up, much to Jane’s relief, and soon the final pile of boxes is assembled and the trailer door secured again somehow by Loki’s magic. 

Darcy gleefully turns to Loki. “‘Beam us up!’”

He looks confused but he doesn’t ask for clarification. Jane figures he’s getting used to Darcy making cultural references that are alien to him, pun intended. Darcy stumbles a bit when they ‘arrive’, and Jane realizes _she’_ s making adjustments, too – she’s gotten used to the brief sense of dislocation that Loki’s teleportation spell seems to cause.

Darcy waves off Jane’s attempt to steady her. “That is freakin’ _cool_ ,” Darcy enthuses to Loki, who looks even more befuddled now. “’Cool’?” he asks.

“She means she thinks teleporting is an amazing skill of yours,” Jane supplies absentmindedly, looking around critically. The living room is filled to almost-bursting with furniture and boxes. She checks her watch. _6:13pm_ _, hm_. “Any chance I can convince the two of you to stick around a little bit longer and help me organize this place? Just enough to make it livable for tonight? I was going to spring for beer and pizza anyway, of course, but if you don’t mind eating a bit late, I think I’d feel better if we get everything organized first.”

“Yeah sure,” Darcy answers brightly, then she looks over at Loki. “Um, do gods even _do_ beer and pizza?”

“I should think I would be required to know what those _are_ , first,” Loki points out dryly, smirking at both of them.

“Beer is a type of alcoholic beverage, and pizza is a…flat bread with meat, cheese and vegetables as toppings,” Jane explains.

“Dude, we _so_ need to get you caught up on Earth culture,” Darcy observes.

Loki tips her a little bow. “I am your humble student, my ladies,” he says, the smirk deepening.

Jane rolls her eyes and gives him a smirk back, “Riiiiiight. You, _humble_?” 

Loki winks salaciously at her.

It actually doesn’t take that long at all to get the place into a halfway decent state. Loki’s magic once again proves itself useful, this time in moving furniture into place. All the boxes of stuff that Jane doesn’t need right away are unceremoniously shoved out of the way in various corners, but even then, she has so much more space than she did in the trailer, that it’s almost laughable. 

_ How the hell did I manage to live in that tin can for so long? _ She wonders. She’ll have to remember to call Izzy to see about the potential buyer.

It’s actually closer to 7:45pm when they finally get to sit down and eat. Darcy had already taken care of the beer run by then (two six-packs, she’d insisted, ‘Just in case Loki drinks like a fish’), and Jane managed to remember to call for pizza _before_ the last minute – her usual mistake. Remembering what Thor’s appetite had been like, Jane ordered two extra large pizzas, one all-dressed and one vegetarian.

Loki does indeed manage to eat nearly half of each one by himself. But he’s earned it, Jane figures. At least his appetite isn’t nearly as gluttonous as Thor’s had been. Otherwise, Jane thinks she might have to ask him for some of his gold to pay for grocery expenses!

Despite Loki’s appetite, he grimaces at the taste of the beer and lets Jane and Darcy know that Asgardian mead is ‘far superior’….though Jane notices that doesn’t stop him from polishing off the last four bottles all by himself. Not that they appear to have any discernible effect on him that Jane can see. Jane and Darcy are already tipsy after two beers each, and Jane figures that’s a good place for her to stop imbibing.

Darcy, with her usual lack of shyness (and probably also fueled by the beer), grills Loki mercilessly about Asgard, and Asgardian food and drink, and what they do for entertainment (‘I don’t think I’d last long in Asgard without my iPod and HBO,’ Darcy muses at one point). Even though most of it is the exact same things he told Jane earlier in the day in the car, if Loki is impatient with the repetition he hides it well.

By 10:30pm, Darcy is ready to call it a night, but Jane manages to talk her into helping make the new bed. Loki looks on curiously, obviously not familiar with such a domestic task.

Darcy is a little too tipsy for Jane’s liking, so even though Darcy doesn’t have far to walk, Jane calls her a cab.

“Thank you again, Darcy,” Jane says, hugging the other woman. “For everything,” Jane adds. Darcy smiles, and Jane is sure she knows what Jane’s referring to.

“Say,” Darcy suddenly exclaims, “I wanted to get you a housewarming gift, but I wasn’t sure what you needed, how much stuff you’re going to pull out of storage and all that. So think about it and let me know, OK?”

“Don’t worry about it. You helped me move, right?” Jane assures her.

Darcy snorts and waves a dismissive hand. “The beer and pizza covered that. I think it’s a municipal law, or something. I’ll check in about the housewarming thing later, okay?” She leans to look past Jane. “Bye, Loki!”

Darcy goes to meet the cab, and Jane closes and locks the door behind her. She turns and Loki is standing in the middle of the living room, looking bemused again. “’Housewarming gift’? Is this climate not sufficiently warm already?”

Jane shakes her head and smiles. “It’s just a little gift you traditionally give someone when they move into a new place. It doesn’t actually have anything to do with ‘warming’, I guess. It probably did at one point, but not anymore. Expressions are funny like that.” She shrugs.

“Ah,” Loki says. He sweeps the apartment with an assessing gaze, then languidly drapes himself over Jane’s new couch. Jane has to stifle a giggle at how ridiculous he looks, all leather and metal and sharp edges, lying so casually across the dark blue IKEA sofa.

Smiling, Jane walks towards him, weaving a little bit. She finds herself climbing on top of him. Maybe the beer is making her bold? She’s not usually this forward.

“Thank you again for all your help, Loki,” she says warmly. “I couldn’t have moved all this stuff so quickly, or gotten the place set up so fast, without it.”

“You are most welcome. Perhaps you should consider plying me with further rewards,” he suggests, openly eyeing her torso. “Considering that your ‘beer’ is rather substandard,” he adds. 

Jane smirks, spreading her hands across his armoured chest. A sudden impulse grips her; she considers it payback for him putting down her favourite brand of beer.

She leans down as if to kiss him on the lips, but then turns her head at the last second, kissing up along the side of his jaw instead. She continues to kiss along his cheek towards his ear as his hands fist in her shirt. She brushes her lips against his earlobe, then she leans back up and pulls the tee shirt up over her head, settling herself with her knees planted on either side of his ribs.

“Better,” he rasps, leering up at her and tracing a finger along the neckline of her bra.

“More?” she asks teasingly. Smirking down at him, she takes the bra off too, then leans down over his face, offering a breast to him. Again though, she evades his mouth, and lifts herself back and out of the way, smiling down at him.

She does it again, and a low growl rumbles in his broad chest. “Minx,” he says, his eyes narrowing. “Do you not think it unwise to tease a _god_?”

Jane widens her eyes innocently at him. “Tease you? Me?” She leans down again, Loki raising his head to meet her nipple…but then she backs off again before he can touch her.

He outright _snarls_ , moving so fast that he has her wrists are pinned together behind her back, her body pushed forward so her chest is arched over him, and her face pressed into the soft padded armrest of the couch before she even knows what hit her. 

He chuckles and the sound is pure sin. His teeth catch roughly at one nipple and Jane gasps, her head swimming. She squeezes her thighs together around his torso, heat unspooling in her belly as he takes the abused nipple deep in his mouth, sucking hard on it. She groans helplessly, pressing her face into the cloth underneath her, enjoying every second.

Being overpowered _is_ one of her kinks, after all.

Teeth scrape across her other nipple, and then he suckles on that one too, pushing his hips up hard against hers.

Then he releases her, although, her brain fogged by sensation, it takes Jane a half-second to realize she’s free.

She scrambles off the couch, and Loki sits up, frowning ominously as he reaches for her arm and she dodges him. She grins playfully at him. “You want a ‘reward’? Come and get it, big boy.” Part of her can’t believe she’s taunting him like this. It really _must_ be the beer.

His answering smile is somehow amused and dangerous at the same time. “I must warn you, Jane, I am always the victor in such games.” He makes another grab at her, lazier this time, which she easily evades again. 

She leads him in a long, messy circle around the living area, backing up and dodging whenever he rushes at her. Most of the time, though, he trails after her unhurriedly, slowly removing bits of his armour and dropping them on the floor as he goes. It’s obvious he could catch her easily whenever he wants to, but he’s enjoying the chase as much as she is. 

By the time she reaches the bedroom, they’re both laughing. She backs towards the bed, but she’s still several meters from it when Loki, stripped down to shirt, leather pants, and boots, finally decides to pounce. Jane finds herself grabbed and tossed effortlessly onto the bed, and he’s on top her by the end of her first bounce.

Still, giggling, she tries to evade him as long as she can, twisting her head to avoid his kiss until he rumbles and wraps his hand around her jaw, holding her still and kissing her hard, invading her mouth with a rough, slippery tongue. His kiss tastes of beer and metal.

He breaks the kiss as rudely as he took it, but then his gaze turns smoky as his thumb traces lightly over her parted lips, once, then slowly back along her lower lip in the opposite direction. Jane draws a shuddering breath, then smiles and tries uselessly to push him off of her. It’s like trying to move an elephant. With a _feather_.

He bares his teeth at her ferally, then catches her chin in his hand, forcing her to tilt her head up. The rough kisses continue down her throat, teeth pricking her skin, and Jane can’t help gasping, squirming, loving it. He presses her hands to the mattress, his weight pinning her down. He shifts up again, lips ghosting across her ear. “You love feeling contained by my strength, being made to submit to the pleasure I am giving you. Do you not, little one?”

Jane blushes and smiles, but doesn’t answer. Some things, while true, are not so easy for her to verbalize. 

“Refusing to speak? No matter. I have other ways of discovering the truth. Your body will tell me all I require to know.”

He presses harder on her hands for just a moment, then releases his grip, and then his body slips down hers as he palms her bare breast instead. Jane moans and arches into his fingers as he pinches her nipple firmly, reflexively trying to raise her arms so she can tangle her fingers in his (much-less-gelled) hair….but she can’t get her arms up off the mattress. They’re pinned down by some invisible force, and Loki laughs soft and wicked, as he sees the comprehension dawn in her eyes.

“You cannot escape me, but you do not want to. I know you crave subjugation, my Jane,” he whispers, smirking menacingly. “You are mine, to tease and toy with, whether you will acknowledge it with your words or not.”

She smirks right back as he sits up. She twists and turns her hips, trying to slow his attempts to strip off her jeans and socks. It’s completely and utterly useless, of course, but it’s too much fun not to try. For all Loki’s attempts to create an aura of threat, there’s a playful edge too.

When she’s naked except for her panties, he pins her ankles hard to the mattress, and Jane’s not surprised to find them immobilized after his hands let go of her. He continues to grin down at her as he strips off a few more items of clothing himself, his shirt and boots tossed carelessly aside. He’s clearly amused by her fruitless squirming.

He lays down beside her then, leaning to loom over her, his hair brushing against her face. She feels his knuckles rub lightly against the crotch of her underwear, and she tries to arch into his touch, biting her lip, but she can’t move.

His laugh rasps in her ear as he strokes her lightly a few more times, and then he pushes the damp fabric aside, eyes locked with Jane’s. She has to bite back another gasp as his fingers trace the edges of her folds, finding her slick and aching. “You’re _dripping_ , my dear,” he chuckles. “You adore this. Your mouth may be silent on that fact, but _these_ ‘lips’ will always betray you to me.”

He leans to her ear again, his voice taking on a conspiratorial tone. “Does it excite you, my Jane, knowing I could so easily _break_ you, but choose not to?” Despite the threat inherent in his words, his fingers ease gently into her.

Jane’s hips try to buck. Her clit aches, begging to be touched, and Jane moans and tries again, uselessly, to move. “Now who’s being a tease?” she growls. 

He laughs demonically. His movements are languid, his fingers moving in slow circles inside her, pressing against her walls as if he’s washing a glass…not that he’s ever done something so mundane in his life, Jane’s sure. “ _Loki_ ,” she protests.

“Am I not pleasing you, little vixen? Perhaps your Midgardian toy can assist me, then.” He makes a sharp movement with his free hand, and Jane’s vibrator appears in it. _What the- I thought I hid that-_

Yeah, like she’d ever be able to hide anything from _him_. She’d _known_ she was in trouble the moment he spotted it-

He removes his fingers slowly from her, putting them to his lips and sucking them clean with an enthusiasm that makes Jane blush hotly all the way from her chest to her cheeks. He then turns the hard plastic vibrator over – the floral pattern on it has never struck her as more ridiculous than it does right now - studying it. Maybe Jane’ll be lucky and the batteries will be dead, it’s not like she’s been _using_ it lately-

But no, it hums to life once Loki figures out to twist the dial at the bottom, and he experiments for a few seconds, trying out different speeds before the diabolical look returns to his handsome face and he bends over her again.

He starts at her throat, pressing the toy lightly into the hollow at its base, and Jane shivers, clenching her fists. He traces the buzzing tip along each collarbone, and then slowly downward, dragging lightly along her skin, until he reaches her left nipple, watching every muscle that twitches along the way. 

Jane’s breath hitches in her throat as he circles the hardened pink tip slowly with the toy, around and around. “You’re _evil_ ,” she grits out, without thinking.

Another soft laugh from him. “So I am. And yet, still you are here, little one. Perhaps my ‘evil’ is exactly what you yearn for. Shall we test that?”

Finally, he presses the toy right against her nipple. Her skin tingles and prickles, and Jane throws her head back, moaning deep in her throat. He repeats the action with her other nipple, then works his way gradually downward, sometimes kissing and licking as he follows the path of the vibrator. When he reaches the top of her mound, the immoral look he gives her raises goosebumps on her body.

The toy nudges just inside her, her fluids wetting it, but Loki pulls it out again right away, a shark-like grin on his face as he dials up the speed to nearly maximum, and presses the toy firmly against her clit.

A totally undignified squeal rips out of Jane’s throat, followed by several other noises as Loki moves the toy in tiny circles. The sensations are intense and just on the edge of becoming unbearable. 

He’s outright ruthless, holding the vibrator right on her clit until Jane’s entire body is sheened with sweat, until her muscles ache from straining against the invisible force pinning her in place, until her breaths are nearly sobbing in her throat. Only then does he take pity on her, removing the vibrator and turning it off, then leaning down to soothe her overtaxed nerves with his mouth, suckling gently on her nub, pressing his tongue softly against it.

Tender lips graze over her folds, his tongue now pressing inside her and then gliding gently up to her clit, over and over, but he’s not gentle for long. 

As soon as Jane calms, a buzzing sound fills the air again, as he dials her vibrator up to max and pushes the toy deep inside her. Jane tenses against her bonds again, gasping loudly, but somehow she still manages to hear his low-voiced command over the rushing in her ears. “Don’t come yet, my Jane,” he warns her. “I am not done with you yet.”

She tries not to, she really does, but he knows her body too well, the bastard. He’s thrusting the toy in and out at a rapid pace, and working her throbbing clit over expertly, and Jane is too overwhelmed, she can’t stop her orgasm. She could sooner hold back a tsunami with her bare hands. Whimpering, she goes over the edge.

Loki makes a tsking sound, turning the toy off and easing it out of her. “Did I not tell you not to climax yet? No doubt it is that vile Midgardian ale that is affecting your control so.”

His magic releases her, but it doesn’t change much; Jane’s muscles just refuse to come online. She can’t offer even token resistance, as Loki turns her over onto her belly, then pulls her up on her knees. 

But he’s not done. He guides her knees wide apart to steady her, then pulls her hands back and to the side. It’s almost as if he’s tying her wrists to the bedposts at the foot of the bed, but once again there’s no actual physical binding, just his magic holding her in place.

It’s a very vulnerable position he has her in. She’s all too conscious of her breasts dangling and her ass in the air. There’s no question in her mind what he’ll do with her next; this is a _fuck-me_ position if ever there was one.

She turns her head, looking over her shoulder at him. Loki grins darkly down at her, stripping off his pants at last. He’s so aroused, his freed length is nearly purple, and Jane is not shocked at all when he pulls his conjuring trick again without delay, plucking a condom packet from the air and applying it to himself. 

Loki climbs back onto the bed, positioning himself behind her. He grasps her hips, his hands so hot she feels like they’re branding her skin, and Jane braces herself, expecting a raw animal onslaught, but his initial thrust is slow and sensual. Trust him to do the unexpected.

His fingers dig into her hips almost hard enough to bruise, but he keeps to the same slow, gliding pace. When he reaches around her with both hands, tugging her nipples, Jane’s breath hitches in her throat, and she tries to push back against him, trying to get him to pick up the pace, but her efforts are only rewarded by the expected dark laughter.

She squeezes her eyes shut as his hands roam over her body, fondling and teasing, and he _still_ doesn’t pick up the pace. She’s on the verge of begging him, and he probably knows it. Then Jane’s eyes snap open as he spanks her, hard.

She gasps, but the blow doesn’t really register as pain. The initial jagged sensation fades quickly, turning to heat that seems to radiate into her whole body, starting from where their bodies are joined.

He gradually settles into a new rhythm – slow thrust, hard spank on one cheek of her ass, slow thrust, hard spank on the other cheek – inexorably picking up the pace. Jane’s head hangs down, her hips trying to jerk forward at each blow, then trying to push back to meet him stroke for stroke, her nails somehow digging into the magical ropes that bind her. 

Her whole body is on _fire_ , sweat dripping down her sides. Her muscles are starting to spasm, to tighten around him, and if she doesn’t come soon, she might just black out- 

“Now,” he hisses, “you may come for me.” He punctuates the command with a quick, rough rub of fingertips across her throbbing clit, and Jane screams, the sound mindless and almost inhuman as her climax explodes through her, _erases_ her.

She comes to slowly, aware that her limbs are free, and that Loki has turned her over onto her back. She can feel his hands on her, caressing her gently, slowly coaxing her to return to him. She opens her eyes at last and he smiles down at her. “Back at last, love?” he asks. He starts moving, and Jane realizes he’s still deep inside her. 

He leans down, bracing his forearms on either side of her head, and kisses her deeply as their bodies continue the familiar push-pull. Maybe it’s still the remnants of the beer, or maybe it’s payback for all of his little tricks today, but another evil impulse of her own drives Jane to stretch her arm downwards, reaching around under her own thigh. She searches until her fingers stroke across Loki’s balls, and his rhythm stutters for a moment, his eyes locking with hers.

She smirks up at him, cupping her hand around him and gently squeezing and stroking, and he leers right back. “As I’ve said before – _Minx_ ,” he opines. And smothers her retort with his lips.

A few hard snaps of his hips into her, and he groans against her throat, emptying himself. He collapses, his weight pressing her down, and Jane wraps her arms around his shoulders, dragging light fingertips over his slick skin. She waits patiently for him to recover, relishing the feel of him pinning her down.

He finally rolls off to her side. “Well, I can think of worse ways to break in a new bed,” Jane laughs.

His eyebrows raise. “’Break the bed’? Did we?”

Jane chuckles and shakes her head. “No, and that’s a good thing! I’ve had enough of furniture shopping for a while.” She’s fading fast, so she urges Loki off the bed so she can pull back the covers. 

He tucks her into the circle of his arms, his heartbeat thudding under her ear, and Jane falls asleep to its steady thrum, not aware of Loki staring thoughtfully up at her stucco ceiling.

*~*~*

Jane’s not surprised to wake alone in the bed. But Loki hasn’t gone far; she finds him on the couch, flipping through one of her well-worn undergraduate astrophysics textbooks. 

He sets it aside as she walks up to him, reaching for her hand. “Come with me,” he says, his expression unreadable.

_ Now what? _ Jane wonders. Despite how much closer she feels to him lately, she still feels a little nervous whenever she can’t figure out what he has planned. _I suppose that’s part and parcel of dating a God of Mischief._

But he doesn’t teleport them or cast a spell or do anything arcane. Instead, he leads her into the bathroom, fumbling with the light switch. He turns her to face the mirror, and Jane winces inside at how she looks – bedhead is _not_ a good look on her. Loki has still not gone back to slathering on the hair-gel, and Jane has to fight an urge to turn, reach up, and run her hands through it. 

Then again, maybe coaxing Loki back into bed with her is a good idea. It’s not like she has any particular plans today, and she’s not exactly looking forward to tackling the chaos that is the lab.

Loki’s hand cups her neck, interrupting her thought processes, his eyes intent on her face in the mirror. Jane starts as something warm glides from his hand, moving across her throat. It’s one of his snakes, this time a thin one covered in tiny gold, black, and dark green scales. His snake released, Loki’s hand shifts onto her shoulder, both of them watching now as the snake wraps itself loosely around her neck, once, and then bites down on its own tail.

A bright green flash dazzles Jane’s eyes, and by the time she’s blinked the coloured spots away, the live snake has turned itself into a necklace. The eyes are two tiny emeralds, the gold scales turned to metal, and the black and green scales to something that looks like coloured enamel.

“Do you like it?” Loki asks, as Jane reaches up to touch the necklace. It feels warm to the touch, and the tiny scales are smooth under her fingers. 

He sounds apprehensive, so Jane is quick to turn and hug him. “It’s so beautiful, thank you.”

“Its beauty is the merest shadow, compared to that of the one who wears it,” Loki says, and Jane snorts and rolls her eyes, blushing. She’s not _bad_ looking, OK, but…‘beautiful’? Yeah, _right_.

“Thank you, Mr. Silver Tongue,” she can’t help quipping. But then her brow furrows. “What’s the occasion though?”

“My ‘housewarming’ gift to you, Jane Foster,” he intones gravely, and Jane has to suppress a giggle. He’s taking this whole thing _way_ too seriously.

He turns her to face the mirror again, his gaze searing into hers. “Let all who see this know that you are mine, and under my protection,” he continues.

Jane swallows hard at the intensity of his gaze, a little uncomfortable now. She has no clue what to say in answer to Loki’s pronouncement. She’s used to fending for herself, has been doing so almost her whole life.

Relief floods through her as her cell phone chimes. Saved by the bell.  “Excuse me, please.” She scoops her phone up off of one of the boxes serving as a coffee table right now. “Hello?”

“Doctor Foster,” Director Fury’s faintly disapproving voice greets her. _Great,_ Jane thinks. _Out of the frying pan-_

“I realize we may not exactly be your favourite people right now, but I imagine you still may have some interest in seeing the Stark-Foster project move forward?”

Jane glances over at Loki, tension coiling in her stomach. “Um, yes. Yes, very much.” She wonders if this is some kind of carrot Fury is dangling, to keep her in the fold. _It’s going to work, too._ This is her life’s work, after all.

“Tony Stark will be at Base 10-594 – the one you were, uh, _visiting_ earlier – later this afternoon. He said he wants to meet with you to discuss the project.” Fury pauses, then grudgingly adds: “Sorry for the late notice, Doctor, but Stark can be…impulsive. In fact, I would say he has something of a short attention span, so I would strongly suggest that you drop any plans you might have had today and get out here quickly, before he gets distracted by something shiny.”

“Yes, OK, I can be there.”

Fury pauses for a long moment, then adds: “And you might also strongly consider leaving your Norse God at home. He and Stark have a…history.”

“No problem, I’ll drive myself,” Jane agrees, glancing over at Loki again. His expression could best be described as ‘guarded’.

“His CEO told us that he’ll be here at 3:30pm, but I suggest that _you_ be here 2:30pm, and be prepared to wait. As I said, he’s impulsive,” Fury adds dryly. “I’ll send the directions to the base to your phone,” he adds, then hangs up abruptly.

Jane pulls the cell away and blinks at it. _It’s happening,_ she realizes. Years of struggling, and maybe now, _finally_ -

Loki clears his throat, his face now blank and unreadable, and Jane snaps out of her reverie. How much should she tell him? 

It only takes her a few seconds to decide. _Everything,_ because a) she’s a crappy liar, and b) if she wants him to be open with her, she can hardly go the hypocritical route, can she?

“That was Fury. Tony Stark wants to meet with me this afternoon, to discuss doing a joint project. To build my Eins- my Rainbow Bridge.” she amends. Loki doesn’t know Einstein from, well, anybody.

For a moment Loki just stands there, and the thought occurs to Jane that he’s never looked more out of place, but then he smiles, wide enough to show dimples. “I am glad to see your fellow mortals are finally taking you seriously,” he tells her. “If there is anyone who can open the doors to the Nine Realms from Midgard, it would be you.”

Jane walks over and hugs him gratefully, but the tension won’t leave her belly. What if Stark meets her and hates her? What if he doesn’t know about Loki, and once he finds out, he refuses to help? 

Would Fury have left that little detail out, though? Jane doubts it.

One more awkward thing to take care of, though. “I, um, I mean, I should probably go by myself. Fury says you and Stark, well, don’t get along?” Jane stammers. 

But Loki only shrugs. “I do not require you to be by my side every hour of every day. Unless you request such of me.” He smirks down at her.

Jane shakes her head. “Always the one-track mind,” she chides him playfully. 

She’d better have all her wits about her for this meeting, so Jane wanders over to the kitchen for some ‘fuel’. She starts to think about what notes she might need to take with her – assuming she can find them in the mess that is her lab right now! – and reminding herself to check Fury’s directions soon, so that she can plan when to leave.

She’s halfway into the kitchen before she remembers – no food except cold pizza, and she can’t remember which box her coffee-maker wound up in. Ugh, she hates cold pizza. And there’s no way she’s facing the legendary Tony Stark without caffeine in her system.

_ Well, we do still have the morning. And as long as I have a God at my disposal… _

She turns to find Loki standing in the doorway. “Any chance I can convince you to go grocery shopping with me, after another run to Isabelle’s diner?” 

His slow smirk is entirely predictable. “I am indeed certain I can be ‘convinced’.”

_ So there  _ are _advantages to dating the God of Mischief._ Jane thinks, leaning up to kiss him. _Who knew?_


End file.
